The Ideal Boyfriend
by XxSeriouslyJadedxX
Summary: [Sasusaku][AU][High School] Uchiha Sasuke is the ideal boyfriend. He's everything a woman would want,except he doesn't care about women at all. Haruno Sakura is staying at the Uchihas for the school semester. Will he change his mind about women in the end? [RE-EDITING][ON HOLD]
1. Chapter 1

"Oh my god. This—it's amazing!"

"Do you like it, dear?"

Haruno Sakura nodded vigorously in reply to the smiling woman next to her. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here!"

Before Uchiha Mikoto could comprehend what was happening, the sixteen-year old had encircled her arms around the older woman in a grateful hug. Surprised at the sudden action, Mikoto stared down at the teen's head of pink hair for a moment, before laughing wholeheartedly and patting the younger girl on the back in return.

It'd been a long time since there had been a female besides herself, let alone such a vivacious one, living in the Uchiha household.

* * *

"Tell me again why we're letting some random stranger stay here again," Uchiha Sasuke, also sixteen years of age, grumbled, trying hard not to glare too hard at the person across from him.

Said person, his father Uchiha Fugaku, crossed his arms and donned an impatient scowl. "Be quiet Sasuke," he snapped. "This random stranger is a daughter of one of my old colleagues, and if she's anything like him, she will make a great addition to this household. You should be honored to have a member of such a prestigious family staying here."

Sasuke scoffed. "If they're so famous, how come I've never heard of them before?"

"Watch your tone, young man! Remember who you're speaking to!" Fugaku stood up, matching the younger Uchiha's glower. Son and father glared at each other for a moment, locked in an unyielding battle of wills. After a moment, however, Fugaku relented, breaking the eye contact. He sighed to himself, as though a sudden weight had befallen him. Sasuke stayed where he was, silently observing his father, waiting for the older man to elaborate on his unanswered question.

When Fugaku spoke, his voice was heavy with regret, "Haruno was such a talented man. He could have done anything he wanted to. He could have become the best of the best." He sighed to no one in particular again.

"But…"

"But he threw it all away!" Sasuke watched impassively as his father threw his hands into the air. "He decided that being a pediatrician in some small unknown town was more worth it than working at one of the world's best hospitals. It was such a foolish choice! I couldn't even believe he—"

"She's here!" Both men turned towards the sudden sound of the front door being opened. "Hello?" Sasuke could hear his mother's voice drift into the room. "Hold on a minute Sakura, dear. Now where is that husband and son of mine?"

"We're in the parlor," his father answered as he reseated himself on the chair across from his son.

_What kind of girl would be named Sakura? _Sasuke couldn't help but wonder to , the color pink came to mind. He knocked the thought away. There's no way in the world that anybody would have pink—

The parlor door opened.

"Nice to meet you, Uchiha-sama!"

_…It's pink. __What kind of girl __actually__ had pink hair? That couldn't be natural. _

"Haruno-san, I'm so glad to finally be able to meet you," his father got up once more, extending his arm out to shake Sakura's hand, but instead found himself enveloped in a crushing hug by the petite girl.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sakura repeated over and over again, finally letting the man go before she turned her gaze on Sasuke. "Is this the son you were talking about, Mikoto-san?"

Mikoto chuckled. "Yes, that there is grumpy old Sasuke."

"That's Sasuke?!" Her eyes widened, "I'm sorry. I thought he was Itachi."

His eyes narrowed. _Itachi? Me?_

"It's just you said he was the same age as me," she laughed nervously under the Uchiha boy's scrutinizing gaze, "and Sasuke-kun looked so much older than I imagined him to be."

_Sasuke…kun. _

Fugaku cleared his throat, drawing all attention to him. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Sakura. But if you'll excuse me, I have an urgent meeting I have to attend in thirty minutes."

Sakura widened her eyes, before bending down into a low bow. "Thank you for staying all this time just to meet me, Uchiha-sama!"

Much to Sasuke's horror, a small, barely visible smile found its way onto his father's lips, "You're welcome, Sakura."

_Don't tell me she's already won his approval. _Sasuke glared at the girl, his ire rising at an exponential rate.

"So, why don't we show you to your room?" Uchiha Mikoto suggested, once her husband had left the room.

"That would be wonderful," Sakura flashed the Uchiha a smile. "Thank you, Uchiha-san."

"Oh, please," Sasuke's mother put a hand to her mouth. "You must call me Mikoto, dear."

"Thank you, Mikoto-san."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Now…Sasuke! Take Sakura to her room, won't you?"

"But—"

"Do as I say, Sasuke." To any stranger, his mother would have sounded fine. But to the trained ears of the Uchiha boy, he could hear the underlying threat in her tone. God, for such a nice woman, his mother was terrifying.

Muttering something incoherent, he opened the door and stepped out into the foyer.

"Sasuke's room is right down the hall from yours if you ever need anything!" he heard his mother tell the girl before she stepped out after him.

"Where's your luggage?" he all but snapped, but the girl didn't seem to take notice to his bad mood.

"Right here!"

It was then he noticed the small duffle bag she had slung over her shoulder. _Only that much? She does know she's going to be staying here for the entire school year, right?_

"Follow me," he grunted.

"So…" she was speaking again, and he tried to concentrate on anything else but her voice. Of all the girls that had to stay here, why in the world did it have to be one that talked _this _much? "You're name is Sasuke right?" she let out a strained laugh, betraying how nervous she actually was behind that cheery exterior.

"Hn."

"Well, my name is Haruno Sakura!" she gave another smile. It was a rather dazzling one at that, but Sasuke was too busy feeling annoyed with her chatter at the moment to notice anything beyond that incessant talk. "So…what are some of your hobbies?"

"…"

"Likes?"

"…"

"Dislikes?"

"…"

"Goals?"

"…"

"Oh, well…" Sasuke watched the girl bite her lip out of the corner of his eye. She looked down to the ground, probably disappointed that she was unable to make conversation.

"I have one certain goal."

Sakura's eyes snapped up.

"I wouldn't call it goal, but an ambition. It's to…surpass a certain man."

"Surpass?" she echoed his words. "… A certain man?"

He didn't grace her with a reply, instead choosing that moment to come to a stop. Sasuke gestured at the door beside him, "This is it."

"Oh!" she came around and opened the door, stepping inside to observe her room for the next year.

"Hn." He turned to leave.

"Sasuke-kun!" He paused, and turned around to glance at her. She gave him yet another smile, albeit much more relaxed and sincere than the previous times. "Thank you."

The Uchiha gave the barest of nods before turning back around and heading back to his own room. At least she hadn't immediately seemed starstruck, like most girls did when they caught sight of him.

* * *

Haruno Sakura slumped against the door of her room, finally safe in her quarters.

_That was close! _She sighed, wiping some of the sweat on her palms onto her jeans. _He was freaking gorgeous!_

She groaned at her own train of though. _I can't believe I have to live with him for a whole year. _A guy like Uchiha Sasuke probably had a ton of girls chasing after him, not to mention, he probably already had an equally gorgeous girlfriend.

_**Shannaro! We'll just have to beat the hell out of all of them, won't we? **_Inner Sakura was fired up, but the real one quickly shoved her other 'side' back to the recesses of her mind.

With another groan, she covered her face with her hands. _What have I gotten myself into?_

For as long as she could remember, Sakura had always wanted to be like her father, the most intelligent and most compassionate man she had ever known in her life. When she found out she had been accepted into the best school in the Fire Country, she was ecstatic. But of course, boarding at the prestigious school cost the same as buying several smaller countries, and she didn't want her family spending all that money just for her education.

She would have declined Konoha Academy's offer, but somehow, her father had made contact with an old friend who lived near the school area. Apparently, one of their sons was in the even more prestigious Konoha University, and the other was in the same grade as her.

When she'd arrived, she nearly choked at the size of the mansion they lived in! It was beyond words, simply put.

But when she saw the son, she was sure she was going to die. Why had her father neglected to mention that she would need to bring a blindfold with her on her journey? There was no way she could stare at something as gorgeous as _that_all day for an entire school year.

_What was she going to do?_

* * *

The dinner actually went more smoothly than she expected. Fugaku had not returned from his meeting yet, so it was only Mikoto, Sakura, and Sasuke.

"Excuse me, Mikoto-san?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Well," Sakura took a sip of her drink to calm her nerves in the presence of Sasuke, who hadn't even looked up at her voice. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have another son, don't you? Itachi? I was wondering why I haven't seen him yet?"

"Oh Itachi?" Mikoto gave a laugh. "He comes and goes as he pleases. I think he has some summer student council meeting tonight. He's president of the entire student body, you know."

"Really?" Sakura let out a gasp of awe. "But isn't he only a junior in the University? My father told me he was a prodigy. Guess it's true!"

Mikoto smiled. "Oh Sakura, Itachi has been the student body president since the freshmen year."

"That's—that's amazing!" Sakura was in shock. How was that even possible? She was completely oblivious to the younger Uchiha sitting next to her, who was currently clutching his napkin so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

When dinner was over, Sakura immediately vanished into the adjacent room after collecting everyone's plates. When Sasuke and Mikoto wandered in after her, they saw her getting ready to wash all the dishes.

"Sakura," Mikoto took the plates from her. "We have a dishwasher!"

"I know," she smiled. "But parents always taught me that we shouldn't always depend on machines for something that should be done by our own hands. And besides, it is the least I can do since I'll be living here for awhile."

"Nonsense!" Mikoto laughed. "We're glad to have you, Sakura. I'm sure your parents are great people, but at the Uchiha household, you are a guest. And there is no possibly way that I will let a guest do the dishes."

"If you say so," the girl sounded unsure, but nevertheless, turned the water off. "I just remembered I still have some things I did not unpack yet. If you'll excuse me."

Mikoto watched Sakura leave before slyly glancing over at her son. "She's grown up well, ne Sasuke? Perhaps you could learn a few things from her."

When said son responded with a glare, she chuckled before walking over, and ruffling his hair. "I'm just kidding."

Putting the dishes into the dishwasher, she also exited, leaving Sasuke alone in the kitchen.

Sasuke rolled his eyes for what seemed like the umpteenth time that night. Nevertheless, he had to admit he was slightly impressed at how easily Sakura seemed to have already integrated herself into the family.

* * *

Sakura awoke in the middle of the night, with a sudden urge to go use the bathroom.

Still half-asleep, she wandered outside of her room.

_Wait! _She stopped in her steps, rubbing her eyes as she tried to adjust them to the darkness of the hallway. _Where in the world is the bathroom?_

She looked around, and to her dismay, realized that all the doors looked the same. She couldn't just open random doors. What if she was disturbing someone's privacy?

Suddenly, Mikoto's words flashed in her mind. _"Sasuke's room is right down the hall from yours if you ever need anything!"_

"I hope he isn't mad at me for barging in on him so late," she whispered to herself. _Please don't sleep without a shirt. Please don't sleep without a shirt._

_**PLEASE SLEEP WITHOUT A SHIRT. PLEASE SLEEP WITHOUT A SHIRT. **_The treacherous Inner Sakura cackled.

To her complete and utter dismay, she was greeted by at least five equally similar-looking doors at 'the end of the hall.'

_Which one is Sasuke-kun's? _She was beginning to grow flustered. After all, she did have a bit of an emergency here.

She took a deep breath, and chose the door all the way at the end. _Please be him. Please be him. _She reached for the knob and—

"Do you want me to call the authorities?"

Her heart leapt out of her chest and Sakura covered her mouth to stifle the scream that threatened to escape as she felt someone behind her.

"What do you think you're doing?" the voice was also deep, like Sasuke's, but somehow more refined and...

_Cold. _Sakura thought, as shivers involuntarily ran down her spine. A voice colder than Sasuke's? Now that was _really _saying something. She turned around slowly, and stared up at the man before her.

He looked strikingly familiar to Sasuke; in particular, those deep onyx eyes that it seemed all the Uchihas had inherited. However, his hair was a deeper hue of black, while Sasuke's hair had almost tinges of blue throughout. Also, this man's hair was tied in a loose-hanging ponytail, which Sakura couldn't imagine Sasuke pulling off for the life of her despite only knowing the boy for a few hours. Realization came to Sakura. This was—!

"I didn't know fan girls had become insane enough to start breaking into houses." The older Sasuke lookalike was saying.

"I—I um…" Sakura snapped out her thoughts, yet couldn't form the words as she cowered under that piercing gaze. "S-Sasuke?"

He looked down at her. "Excuse me?"

She quickly shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "I—um, may I speak to Sasuke-kun?"

"No."

"Please, I need to speak with him!"

If Sakura had been in another state of mind, she might have realized that it might have just cleared all the confusion if she had stated her name and said she was a guest.

Seemingly sensing the girl's desperation, the man, who was obviously Itachi, gently pushed her aside, and turned the knob she had been about to turn herself.

The room inside was black, but Sakura could make out the figure of a boy sleeping on a bed against the wall. The figure bolted up so fast at the sound of the door opening that Sakura covered her mouth again to stifle yet another gasp of surprise. She had never met such a light sleeper before.

"Who's there?!" Sasuke demanded into the darkness, before he spotted his brother in the doorway. "Itachi?"

No…it wasn't just Itachi. As his eyes adjusted, Sasuke saw the pink-haired girl behind his brother, and his eyes immediately narrowed. _What in the world is going on?_

With a quick glance at his clock, he saw that it was only two in the morning. "What do you want?" the question was mostly directed at his brother.

Itachi gestured to Sakura. "One of your fangirls broke into the house. She seemed desperate to see you."

Sasuke looked at Sakura. _Fangirl?_

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squeaked, bowing low. "I'm so sorry to be bothering you at this time of night! But I…I just…" her face turned red as she mumbled something inaudible.

"What is it?" Sasuke sighed, getting out of bed.

"I…I woke up…and I needed to use…"

"Speak louder."

"Where is the bathroom?"

If it had been any other situation, Sasuke would have laughed. Except, one: Sasuke _never _laughed, and two: he was beyond annoyed that he was awakened for this purpose. "Use my bathroom for now."

"Your bathroom…?"

He pointed to the smaller door against the opposite wall of his room.

"Oh!" the girl realized what he was saying and bowed again, before cautiously stepping into his room. "Thank you."

_**YOU KNOW HE'S NOT WEARING A SHIRT! **_Inner Sakura was squealing in delight.

Her body moved of its own accord, and Sakura turned around to stare at the delicious abs of Uchiha Sasuke. Now _that _was a washboard.

_Holy…_

"Are you going to use my bathroom or not?" Sasuke's unamused, deadpanned voice snapped her back to reality.

"Y-Yes!" she squeaked again before hurrying into the bathroom.

Sasuke shook his head. _All this trouble for a bathroom?_

"Care to clarify, little brother?"

The younger Uchiha had almost forgotten that Itachi was standing in the doorway.

"She's the girl that's going to be staying here."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Interesting little creature, no?"

Sasuke scowled. "Get out of my room."

Itachi inclined his head in farewell, before stepping back into the shadows of the hallway. "As you wish, _foolish little brother_."

"I told you not to call me that!"

* * *

**I loved writing this chapter. Don't worry, Sakura won't just be a useless fangirl. She's got some brawn under that cheery exterior of hers. And Sasuke...eh..what can I say? He's just a lovable jerk.**

**Please leave your comments and review!**

******Edited: 07/16/13**


	2. Chapter 2

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Ok, I realized that I said Sakura and Sasuke was sixteen and a sophomore. I have made a mistake. They will be juniors in this story. As for Itachi, I want him to stay as a junior in college, so for this story, we'll just have to pretend that Itachi is only four years older than Sasuke, and not five. That's all I wanted to point out.**

**I've never updated this fast before. The next chapter won't come out as quick, just to tell everyone. **

**Thank you everyone for all the reviews!  
**

**For those who wanted to know about the side pairings:**

**Naruhina-I will try to focus on this pairing as much I can. But to be truthful, though I adore the pairing, I really don't have much motivation to write about them since Hinata and Naruto are not my favorite characers. **

** NejiTen-ehh..well they're going to be a year older than all the others in the story. So I'll see how much I can concentrate on their relationship.**

**Shika?-Just like in my other story, I am unsure who I want to pair this guy with. He may end up staying single. If not, then he'll be with Ino or Temari. I'm not going to concentrate that much on his love life (if he even has one.)  
**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When Sakura entered the dining room at seven in the morning, she was once again surprised to see all the Uchihas sitting there, already eating breakfast. And she had thought she woke up early.

"Sasuke has informed me of your encounter last night," Mikoto gave her a smile. "So we won't need to introduce Itachi."

Sakura blushed slightly at last night's event. When she had exited Sasuke's bathroom, he had been lying on his bed. He told her that the bathroom was right next to her bedroom, and at that, Sakura had turned redder than a ripe tomato. She had quickly escaped to her own room, and berated herself on her stupidity.

Just thinking about it made her want to run back to her own room.

"Well, sit down and eat with us," Mikoto filled her plate with a large pile of food. "A growing girl needs to eat after all."

Gingerly, she pulled back her chair and sat down next to Sasuke, who hadn't said a word since she entered. But then again, neither had Itachi or Fugaku.

Breakfast was eaten in peaceful silence.

"Sasuke," Fugaku's sharp voice startled Sakura so much that she nearly dropped her glass of milk. It would definitely take some time to adapt to the Uchiha family's ways. "Haruno-san and your school supplies list arrived in the mail this morning. Take her today to get the necessary preparations."

Sakura choked on the milk. _I have to go with him…today! _

Sasuke made no comment, but stood up from his table, his breakfast finished.

He said one word before he left the room, "Eleven."

"Eleven?" Sakura didn't understand.

Mikoto patted her hand. "He means that he'll be waiting at eleven."

Sakura nodded her head and looked around, only to realize that person that had been sitting on her other side had also slipped out when no one was watching.

_I never even heard Itachi-san leave! _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"I'm here!" Sakura exclaimed happily as she came down the stairs.

"You're late."

She glanced down at her watch.

_**IT'S ONLY 11:01 DAMNIT! **_

"I'm really sorry," her outer self apologized.

He grunted and opened the door to what she assumed was the garage.

"The-the garage is bigger than my room back home!" Sakura could only gape at the line of vehicles parked all over the area. She saw a motorcycle parked away from all the others. "Is that yours, Sasuke-kun?"

He grunted, which she assumed was 'yes.' Instead of heading towards the motorcycle, however, he headed towards a shiny red Porsche. "Get in."

Sakura complied, seating herself comfortably in the front seat. The moment she strapped in the seatbelt, he took off.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Here," Sasuke tossed her a piece of paper, which was probably her 'School Supplies' list.

She got out of his car, and stared at possibly the biggest store she had seen in all her life. It was even bigger than her town mall!

"Are you coming?" by the tone of his voice, it seemed that he wouldn't mind leaving her all alone in the parking lot.

Sakura hurried to catch up.

Of course, with his looks and his family name, Sakura had expected him to be popular…but never _this _popular!

The moment they stepped foot in the store, whispers escalated.

"_Look, there's Uchiha Sasuke!"_

"_Who's that with him?"_

"_Is it his girlfriend?"_

"_No way!"_

Sakura unconsciously tagged closer to Sasuke, who was currently completely ignoring her presence.

Girls who were shopping stopped to ogle the Uchiha and glare at the pink-haired female.

"_Look at her forehead, it's so wide."_

"_My god, what an ugly girl."_

"_There's no way Sasuke-kun would choose an ugly girl like her."_

Sakura held her head up high, though the words did hurt inside, since it reminded herself of her childhood. Her hands shook at the sudden urge to go over to one of the gossipers and knock their teeth out.

Before she could execute any sort of action, she felt a hand on her. She looked up; to see Sasuke had taken hold of her arm, and he had begun walking faster.

"_Oh my god, he's touching her!" _

"_What is he thinking!"_

"_NO!"_

Sakura saw him roll his eyes slightly and she suppressed a giggle. So the Uchiha did have some emotions after all. He glared down at her when he heard her stifled laughs, and she immediately quieted down.

She reached out and took his hand off her arm. When he looked at her, she smiled. "It's okay. I won't get lost."

"_She touched him!"_

"_How dare her!"_

"_I'm so going to kill her!"_

With a laugh, Sakura tuned out the voices and happily followed Sasuke through the store.

Forty-five minutes later, the two emerged out of the store with their arms full of shopping bags…well at least Sakura did. The two hadn't made much conversation when shopping, except Sasuke occasionally telling her that she was buying the wrong supplies.

"I'm starved," Sakura put all the bags in the back, "I can hardly wait to get some food."

The Uchiha made no comment in response, but Sakura decided that was normal.

She closed her eyes as the car started to drive, savoring the (somewhat peaceful) silence.

She was barely holding on to the edges of reality when she felt the car stop, and drowsily, her eyes opened.

"Are we there already?" she sat up and glanced to her side, before her mouth dropped open and her eyes bulged out. "Oh my god! Where are we? Is this your mall? It's ten times bigger than the store back over there, and I had thought that was humongous! Why are we here? Sasuke-kun?"

He had already gotten out of the car. "You're less annoying when you don't talk."

She looked down in embarrassment. "S-sorry. It's just a natural habit, I guess." When her head went up again, a smile was already back on her face. "But, what are we doing here?"

"Clothes."

"Clothes!"

"My mother told me to get you clothes."

Sakura followed him through the doors of the mall. "But I have my own clothes."

When he whipped around to look at her, she was sure his eyes flashed red. Had she annoyed him that much on this trip? "Just-do-as-I-say," his words seemed to be forced out of his mouth, and instead of talking, it seemed he actually wanted to strangle her right there on the spot.

Sakura, getting the message, shut her mouth.

A few minutes passed as Sasuke took her deeper and deeper in the mall. Sakura was quite confused. There were clothing stores all around them, but he made no move to head to any of them. Didn't he know that she wanted to get clothes shopping over with so she could return to eat lunch?

So lost in her thoughts, she never noticed he had stopped, and her face crashed right into his back.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" she was back to her normal chatter.

Sasuke inwardly sighed. _Old habits die hard, I suppose. _"This is the food court."

"But I thought we were going shopping for clothes…"

"Eat first. Shop after."

There was a squeal of happiness, and before the Uchiha could react, arms were around his neck as the girl hugged him. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

He pushed her off when his senses came back around, but he could feel that the stares of the people that saw. Uchiha Sasuke…was showing public displays of affection? It was a sure sign that the end of the world was nearing.

She seemed to realize what she did, and started to apologize all over again.

Sasuke was ready to leave the ranting girl and just go home. He couldn't wait until this day was over.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When Sasuke realized that the almost famished girl was just staring at the menu wistfully, he knew something wasn't quite right.

"They all look so delicious," the pink haired girl remarked, earning a few weird glances from the girl behind the counter. After all, it was just another fast food store. "But I can't buy any of it."

Sasuke looked at her. What was she talking about now?

"I just realized I spent almost all of my money on school supplies," she smiled at him again, though her eyes told him that she was in despair. Was food this important to his small girl? "But its okay, Sasuke-kun, you can buy whatever you want. I can eat when we return."

He rolled his eyes. As one of his classmates would say, _this is troublesome. _"What do you want?"

She shrugged. "I suppose I would have just gotten a burger and water." Her stomach's grunts in protest clearly told everyone within a five feet radius of her how hungry she really was. "But like I said, I don't have any money and—Sasuke, what are you doing!"

He was ordering two burgers and waters from the counter-girl (who need I mention, was blushing like crazy.) He seemed oblivious to the pink-haired girl's protests as he took the food and headed towards the nearest table.

When Sakura sat down across from him, he shoved the food over to her. Though she was still busy protesting about 'him paying for her' that she didn't even notice.

"Eat." He ordered, since he was getting tired of her talk. Food in her mouth was sure to shut her up. "Just give me back the money when we get back."

She looked gratefully at him. "Thank you, but aren't you eating anything?"

He didn't reply. He never did really have an appetite during lunch. He heard shuffling noises and looked down to see a burger under his nose.

"You have to eat," her voice sounded almost like his mother. "It's not healthy to skip lunch."

With a sigh of annoyance, he grabbed the burger from her and took a bite. It was…missing something. He saw the packet lying on the table. There was his solution.

Sakura could only stare as the Uchiha boy poured the ketchup onto his burger. "Uh…"

"I like tomatoes."

A burst of giggles escaped her. _Tomatoes? _ _Him? _When he glared at her, she forced herself to shut up. "Sasuke-kun, may I ask you a question?"

"Hn."

"What is Konoha Academy for the Gifted and Talented like?"

"…nothing much."

"How are the people in it?"

"…okay."

"Are there any special after club activities?"

"…I don't know."

Sakura could have pulled her hair out in frustration. "Please, Sasuke-kun, then could you tell me what you know about the academy?"

He was silent for a long while, when suddenly he met ehr eyes and they darkened. "Everyone there worships the school's idol."

"Who…?"

If possible, his eyes darkened even more. "Itachi."

"Itachi?"

"He graduated with full marks on everything all four years," Sakura wasn't sure if she was supposed to tell him that the ketchup was being squeezed out from his burger, since his hands were clenching it so hard. "He was the top of everything, the genius, the prodigy."

_So that's why Sasuke is so cold to his brother. _Sakura thought. _He's always been in his shadow.  
_

"All father did was praise him." Sasuke seemed to have now forgotten about her, and was mumbling to himself. "Never anyone but him."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. It seemed that the taciturn Uchiha could talk on about his brother forever. _The word 'Itachi' must really be taboo to him. _

She reached out her hand and gave him her most reassuring smile she could muster, "Well, if Itachi is so great, you'll just have to try your best to surpass him, won't you?"

He stared at her, before he gave half a nod, and leaned back, as his emotionless mask slipped back into place.

Sakura resumed her meal, happy that the tension between them had finally disappeared for the moment.

"Excuse me? May we sit here, too?"

What was going on?

"No."

"Oh please, Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura looked up, and saw three beautiful model-worthy girls standing in next to Sasuke. All were slender-legged and long-armed with beautifully carved faces, perfected with spa and salon treatments.

"I said no."

Sakura glanced sharply at the boy across from her. What was he thinking, rejecting these stunningly beautiful girls? She suddenly felt like she didn't fit in.

She got up. "Sasuke-kun, you can stay here with these ladies. I'll just go shopping and come back when I'm done, okay?"

"Sit down."

There was no room for argument in his tone, and Sakura meekly retook her seat, feeling the pressure of the glares on her back from the three girls.

"Sasuke-kun, you heard the girl. She needs to go buy clothes. Why don't you just let her?"

"No."

Sakura looked at the raven-haired boy. She could tell his patience was thinning, and he hardly had patience to begin with. _Alright then,_ she decided. _It'll be Sakura to the rescue! _

"Um…I don't think Sasuke is in the mood for company right now, so…uh…would it be so kind for you to l—"

"No one was talking to you!" the three girls turned their heads towards the poor pink-haired girl and lashed out at her.

"_Why are you even sitting here?" _

"_Who the hell are you?"_

"_Sasuke-kun, who's the brat?"_

Sakura felt herself shrinking back. Maybe trying to help wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Will you all just shut up already?" a new voice joined.

"P-president!" All the girls immediately complied.

"I could hear you all the way across the food court!"

"We're really sorry, we didn't mean it!"

Sakura couldn't see who the girls were talking to, but it was clear that whoever it was, she had the authority over all of them.

Sasuke, on the other hand, who had a clear view of who the new person was, scoffed in disgust. It was the President of his fan club.

"Now who's the poor girl you're picking on?"

The three girls moved aside.

Sasuke scowled. Now he had another fan girl to deal with, not to mention another bully to add on to Sakura's list. But of course…he _never _expected what would happen next.

"Forehead girl!"

Sakura dropped her burger.

"Ino-pig!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Ah hah! So Ino has been introduced. I'm not sure yet if she is going to play a big part in the story. Some reviewers have said that Itachi is nice to Sakura, while others have said that Itachi doesn't really like her. What I actually was trying to portray was that he was indifferent, not really caring if there was someone else in the house. **

**Later on, will he warm up to her? Even I'm not that sure yet. **

**I'm basically trying to focus on keeping Sasuke in character in AU standards. I'm not going to really concentrate on Itachi's attitude, so forgive me if any of you feel that he is OOC later on.  
**

** Next Chapter:**

** SASUKE AND SAKURA GET INTO A DISAGREEMENT! WILL THINGS BE RESOLVED? OR WILL SAKURA ALREADY HAVE AN ENEMY BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR HAS EVEN STARTED! **

**Please Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you everyone so much for the reviews! They're what keeps me writing! Have fun with this chapter! **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Do you have any idea how much I missed you!" Sakura lunged at the blonde girl, wrapping her in a hug.

The three fan girls, shocked by the suddenness of the action, muttered their goodbyes to Sasuke and quietly slipped away.

Sasuke himself was also in a quite a bit of shock, though he didn't show it on his face.

He never expected that the president of his fan club and his guest to know each other…not to mention they seemed like old friends!

"You're soiling my new clothes, forehead girl," Her words were snotty, but her tone was affectionate. "I haven't seen you in three years."

Sakura pulled away. "You've grown fatter Ino-pig," she laughed at Ino's mock gasp.

Sasuke watched the exchange silently. Were they supposed to be insulting each other? Because it really wasn't that effective.

"I'm surprised, forehead girl, your forehead doesn't seem so wide anymore," Ino laughed at Sakura's scowl.

"Yeah, well I've got the beauty to match my brains, of course," Sakura noticed Sasuke still sitting there. "Oh, Sasuke this is Yamanaka Ino. Ino, this is—"

"Uchiha Sasuke, I know," Sakura watched in fascination as her friend turned to mush when Sasuke turned to face her.

"You need to go shopping," his statement was directed at Sakura.

"Oh!" She smacked a hand to her forehead. "I'm really sorry, Ino, but I have to go clothes shopping."

"I'll accompany you!" Ino's sudden perkiness startled Sakura.

She was sure that her old friend wanted to spend time catching up, but she was pretty suspicious that the majority of the reason why Ino wanted to tag along was because Sasuke was also there. She shrugged to herself. It didn't matter to her either way.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sasuke-kun, doesn't this top look so cute on Sakura!"

Sasuke, who was sitting on a chair just outside the fitting room, briefly glanced up to see a smiling Ino and blushing Sakura standing in front of him. "It all looks the same. Just hurry up."

Ino pouted, before dragging Sakura back into the dressing room.

"Ino, what were you thinking!" the still embarrassed girl got out of Ino's grip.

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are to be living with Uchiha Sasuke?" Ino whispered in reply, looking around to make sure no other girls were listening.

Sakura stared blankly at her friend. "So what does dragging me out have to do with that?"

Ino sighed. "Sakura, a girl like me who knows everything about Sasuke-kun knows that you need to approach a guy like him subtly. If he looks at you, he'll also be looking at me, and slowly my image will be stuck in his mind. Understand?"

Sakura sweat dropped. _Eh…not really. _

"Now hurry up and put one these jeans so we can go show Sasuke-kun!"

Outside, Sasuke found himself tapping his foot impatiently. He knew from the start that allowing the blonde to come would be a bad idea.

At first, when they had just entered the store, Sakura had gone over to the plain looking shirts.

When that Ino had saw what her former best friend was considering to buy, she had made an over-exaggerated gasp before dragging Sakura over to the more elaborately designed tops.

Didn't that girl know that they were wasting his time?

He could feel the girls in the store staring as they came out of fitting room. And in his opinion, it was quite disturbing to have a thirty year old woman stare at him like she wanted to take him home.

It was hours later that the three finally emerged from the store, and Sasuke stood by silently while the two best friends exchanged cell phone numbers. When Ino came to hug him goodbye, he moved away, and Ino just laughed weakly. After all, she was familiar with his non-existent interest in woman contact.

"I promise I'll pay you back," Sakura told him the moment Ino was out of sight.

"Don't bother," he muttered, knowing that if his mother heard of what happened, she would never allow the girl to give him back his money. After all, like his mother would say, he was just treating the guest. He glanced down at his watch. He had wasted four hours wandering around pointlessly and it was all that dumb blonde's fault. "Che, annoying."

Sakura heard him. "Annoying?" Her eyes saddened. _Did I make him annoyed again?_

Sasuke took her bags from her and dumped them all in the back seat. "The blonde. She butted in on things that weren't her concern."

Sakura stared at him, automatically coming to Ino's defense. "Now that's unfair Sasuke-kun. All Ino was doing was helping me."

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

"Sasuke-kun, I don't care if you didn't ask for it! Ino is my friend and I'm going to defend her!" She turned to look outside the window. "You don't know what she has done for me. Without her, I wouldn't be—"

"I don't need to hear your sob story." he cut her off briskly.

She clenched her fists. She had had it with his cold and arrogant attitude. "What about you! You act so cold towards everyone, but secretly; you're probably enjoying all the attention! I've met guys like you before. You reject all those girls in front of everyone, but you probably secretly have three to four different girls all hanging off your arm!"

The car swerved so suddenly that Sakura banged her head against window. "What did you just say?" His voice was cold, _really _cold.

"Ow…" Sakura rubbed her head.

He came to an abrupt halt, and Sakura realized that they had returned. She stepped out of the car, to see Sasuke was already at the front door with her bags by his side.

She wasn't done yet. Ino was an important person to her. The blonde was her savior in her cold and lonely childhood days. No one was going to get away with insulting her best friend. "I'm not done yet! Don't run away!"

The front door was opened, and Sasuke slammed the door shut before she could step inside.

She blinked a few times; surprised at herself on how she suddenly lost control.

Suddenly, she felt someone behind her, and she turned around to see the older Uchiha standing there. Apparently, he had just returned from wherever he had gone that morning.

"Did I over do it?" she asked him, biting her lip.

"Sasuke has never had a girlfriend before," Itachi stepped up to her. "And he probably never will. My foolish little brother has no interest in women at all. He doesn't like people drawing false conclusions about him."

He pushed open the door. "You should be cautious around him. He has a bad temper."

Sakura moved in to follow him, but the door was slammed shut once again.

**_HOW RUDE! _** Inner Sakura didn't believe she had made a mistake in yelling at the younger Uchiha.

Logical Sakura sighed.

_Did I really make a mistake? _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Dinner that night was tense.

Fugaku had another meeting and Itachi had wandered off to somewhere again.

Mikoto seemed unaware of what was going on, since she was still her cheerful self.

Sakura hardly had an appetite. She bit her lip, wanting to break the awkwardness, but at the same time afraid that she would say the wrong thing again.

Sasuke didn't even look in her direction, even though they were sitting right next to each other.

"Excuse me," Sakura mumbled, suddenly feeling depressed. "I don't feel too well." She quickly hurried back to her room.

"Sasuke!" Sasuke looked up at his mother's voice. "I don't know what's going on, but you better apologize!"

So his mother wasn't as unaware as he had thought.

He narrowed his eyes. _Why is it that my mother automatically assumes I'm the one at fault here? _

His mother continued to look expectedly at him, and he scoffed, before scooting out of his chair and walking upstairs. There was no way he was apologizing to anyone. Uchiha Sasuke never apologized.

Mikoto watched her son go, and heaved out a sigh. _It's only been a day and he's already mad at her. _

She smiled.

_Things are becoming more interesting. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Uchiha Sasuke lay on his bed, wide awake and very unhappy.

He had locked himself in his bedroom, and waited for the timid pink-haired girl to come walking in to apologize…except, that she never did.

At least an hour had passed, but there was still no presence of her.

_Who does she think she is? _His brows creased. _Does she think she can live in this house and act above me? _

He swung the door open, stepping out. He was definitely going to get an apology out of her. If there was one thing Uchiha Sasuke had a natural talent at…it was verbal assault.

He swung open her bedroom door, only to be greeted by no one.

He stepped out, having no idea where she went. The blow dryer was suddenly heard, and he realized she was in the bathroom. He knocked, but when no one answered, he gently pushed the door open.

There she was, her back faced to him, already in her pajamas and drying her hair. Her eyes were closed and a small smile was on her face while she hummed some unfamiliar tune.

He reached out, and put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention and…

"KYAA! PERVERT!" her scream put him off-guard, and a well aimed punch to his cheek sent him staggering backwards.

_What the--! _Even someone as cold as Sasuke allowed three seconds of complete and utter shock to show on his face. _And he had called her timid? _

Sakura opened her eyes, and she gasped. "S-Sasuke!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but the girl cut him off.

"I'm so so so so so sorry for hitting you! I didn't know it was you! I'm so sorry! I wasn't even thinking! I'm so sorry!"

He waited for her to stop, but she continued on.

"And I'm sorry for saying what I said earlier! I'm sorry for making you mad! I'm sorry that I drew false conclusions! And I'm sorry—"

"Shut up," He knew that he had come in on her with the intention for her to apologize, but now he was just sick of it.

Gingerly, he brought a hand to his cheek, and inwardly winced.

"Does it hurt?" Her voice was laced with concern, guilt, and regret.

"No." Damn, it stung, but Sasuke would never admit it aloud. "Where did you learn to punch like that?"

"I—"she blushed as though recalling an embarrassing event. "My father taught me. A girl has to be strong to survive, you know?"

Sasuke made a mental note to have a talk with her father. Well, his purpose was achieved. He had no more reason to stay. He turned around.

"Wait!" her voice stopped him. "I'm sorry. Really."

"Hn." He walked out.

"Does that mean I'm forgiven!" she called after him.

There was no reply.

She turned back towards the mirror, and continued on with drying her hair.

**_SHANNARO! HE DIDN'T APOLOGIZE ABOUT INO! _**Inner Sakura was not happy.

Sakura sighed. _Maybe another time._

The small smile found itself back onto her lips.

_I'm glad…that things are alright again._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Uchiha Sasuke stepped out of the bathroom, to see his mother walking away.

His eyes narrowed.

_Had she been listening!_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Mikoto smiled to herself.

Things had turned out differently than she imagined, but at least the problems were resolved in the end.

_Poor thing, _she thought about her youngest son. _I just hope it won't bruise tomorrow._

She continued along her way.

_Yes…Things will be interesting indeed._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Take that, Sasuke! xD I thank Shadow-Ninja-Fay for giving me this idea. Originally, she was going to hit Naruto...but Sasuke ended up being the poor victim. And some may realize this, but I am using quotes from the anime/manga (ex. girls need to be strong to survive.) **

**Ehh...so it was only a one chapter fight, but of course, more drama will come later. xD **

**And if nobody understood the Sakura/Ino story, it was basically Ino was Sakura's best friend until she moved three years ago. Okay? **

**Hope you enjoyed!  
**

**Next Chapter:  
SCHOOL STARTS! CHAOS! xD **

**Please Review!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay...thank you for the reviews! Hopefully, I've answered all questions in my replies. **

**NOTE: I'm going to tell everyone this right now. I'm not in high school yet, I'm only heading to the 8th grade in september. The only resources I have of high school are from older friends (and they aren't very helpful.) So I've decided there will be no AP or honors classes in the school. The system will be based off of homeroom, four periods, lunch, four periods. Okay? I hope it won't be too confusing. **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The next week passed pretty quickly. Sakura spent most of her time with Ino, who slowly became her best friend again. Though, they did still have their daily arguments, of course.

Not much progress was made between the Uchihas, except that Sasuke had finally become used to her presence (though he was still as cold as ever) and Itachi had finally warmed up to her.

Well…warmed up isn't really the right word. She supposed using the word 'acknowledged' would be better.

Before she knew it, it was already the night before the school started, and currently, she was pacing around her room, Sasuke sitting on her bed and looking like he really wanted to get the heck out of there.

"I'm really sorry for bothering you Sasuke-kun, but I really do appreciate your help," she repeated for the fifth time in half an hour.

Sasuke crossed his arms, a scowl on his face. He had gotten ready to go to bed, when the girl had barged in and dragged him to her bedroom, pleading some nonsense to him along the lines of 'nothing to wear.'

"It's my first day at a new school," she opened her closet. "And I really do want to make a good impression. So I know this sounds really pathetic, but I really don't know what to wear. What do girls at the Academy usually wear?"

Sasuke scoffed. How was _he _supposed to know what girls wore? It's not like he paid any attention to them.

"It's still too hot to wear jeans, but I don't know if I should wear shorts because it might come off that I'm a flirt and I don't want that," she was babbling away again.

Honestly, he didn't understand why he hadn't left the room yet.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"I asked you if I should wear this?"

Had she asked him a question? He wasn't paying attention. Oh well, he should just get this over with. "Hn."

"What about these?"

"Hn."

"This?"

"Hn."

"Sasuke, you're not even listening!"

A sock headed towards his way, but a slight tip of his head and the hit was avoided. "I don't care what you wear."

"Go away! You're no help!"

Sasuke refrained from rolling his eyes. Finally, he could escape.

When he had left, Sakura tossed herself onto the bed and screamed into her pillow. God, he was insufferable.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

At 6:50 am, Uchiha Sasuke was already opening the front door, ready to leave for school, even though it started at 7:30 and was only a fifteen minute walk away. He liked to wander around the halls when no one was around.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" the voice stopped him from leaving, and with a frustrated sigh, he stepped back into the house. It was one of those rare weekday mornings that his father was home. "Where do you think you're going?"

Sasuke creased his brow. He didn't understand. He always left at this time.

"Are you not going to wait for Sakura-san?"

Oh, now he got it. So that was the problem…again. "Why should I wait for her?"

Fugaku gave him a stern look. "I don't know where you got that attitude of yours, but you are waiting for the girl. What would her father say if she got lost on the first day?"

Sasuke was unhappy. "If she isn't down here by seven," he growled. "I'm leaving."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

At exactly 6:59, Haruno Sakura burst through the front door, backpack in hand.

She looked around, and when she spotted Sasuke on the driveway, she sighed in relief. For a second there, she had thought he left.

Sasuke saw her, and started walking, not even bothering to say 'good morning.'

With a huff, she raced to catch up with him. "Do you always go to school this early?"

"Yes."

"I guess being at the top also means perfect attendance right?"

"Hn."

"So…am I supposed to be nervous?"

Sasuke looked down at the girl out of the corner of his eye. _You don't look nervous. _But then again, he had learned by then that the happier the girl was, the more nervous she was probably feeling…

"Isn't it a beautiful day?" she laughed aloud.

_Okay. It was obvious. She was nervous. _

"So—"

"Could you be quiet?"

"Huh? Oh…" she laughed, her uneasiness finally showing through. "Well, I guess I'll be quiet just this once."

Sasuke was content. At last, blissful silence.

Until…she started humming.

He sighed. He should have known it would never last. At least it was better than her chatter.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sasuke-san!" the Principal's secretary and assistant looked up in surprise when she felt two shadows hovering over her. "You're here early as usual. We haven't posted homerooms yet."

This was the first reason Sasuke hated the first day of school. He couldn't just go inside, he had to wait outside like everyone else and wait for homerooms to be announced.

"Hello, I'm Haruno Sakura, the new student!" he could hear Sakura talking with Shizune. They seemed to be getting along.

"My, my, my, don't we have a pretty little lady here?"

Sasuke shuddered. It was the Vice Principal that had arrived.

"Jiraiya-sama," Shizune bowed. "Where is Tsunade-sama?"

"Don't ask me where that old hag is. I just came here to post homerooms." He pushed Shizune aside. "Now tell me pretty lady, what's your name?"

Sakura twitched. This guy was what? Fifty?

"Hmm…" Shizune snatched the papers from Jiraiya. "Haruno Sakura, right? You're in Hatake Kakashi's homeroom class. Hmm…and so is Uchiha Sasuke. Room 121."

"Isn't that wonderful, Sasuke?" Sakura directed her attention to him. "We're in the same homeroom!"

No…it was not wonderful. Wasn't school supposed to be a place where you could escape from the troubles of home?

And to make things worse, he had Hatake Kakashi as homeroom teacher. That guy was always reading his Come Come Paradise books when he was supposed to be teaching. But…Kakashi was almost everyone's favorite teacher, since he was always late and didn't mind when pranks were pulled on him.

School hadn't even started yet…but already, Uchiha Sasuke could not wait until the day was over.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura watched in interest at the activities around the classroom before the teacher arrived.

Most girls seemed to be wandering around the windows, where the Uchiha boy was sitting. Though almost all of them seemed to be either too shy or too afraid to go up and talk to him.

"Hey, what's your name!" the loud voice that suddenly appeared in her ear startled her so much that she fell out of her seat.

She looked up, and stared into piercing blue orbs. A kid with blonde hair and an orange jumpsuit like outfit was helping her up, a big smile on his face.

"Sorry," he rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I got excited. I haven't seen you before. Are you new?"

She smiled at him. "I'm Haruno Sakura."

"Ah!" the loud blonde eye's lightened up. "Well, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm the top student in this class!"

Sakura snuck a glance at Sasuke. But wasn't Sasuke the top student?

"Well…" the blonde gave out an embarrassed laugh. "I'm going to be the top student."

Sakura nodded. _I see. So is this Sasuke's rival? _

"But you know what I want to be more than anything!" the blonde leaned closer, and lowered his voice. "I'm going to be the next principal of this school once old Granny Tsunade retires!"

Sakura was skeptical. This loud and overly cheerful guy didn't seem like a person who would have the smarts, patience, or determination to become the school principal.

"Can I call you Sakura-chan?"

She snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh yeah, sure."

Suddenly, a soft group of giggles was heard, and both Sakura and Naruto looked over to see a pack of girls staring at the blonde.

Sakura looked between them. Was this guy another stud?

There were some whispers, and one girl got pushed out.

With a laugh, she walked over to Naruto.

"Hey Uzumaki," she leaned in close to his ear.

Sakura watched interestedly. _Is she going to ask him out? _

"Could you introduce me to Sasuke-kun?"

_Sasuke! What in the world--?_

The blonde crossed his arms, "Why should I?"

The girl giggled. "Please? After all, you are his..."

Sakura could not believe what she heard next.

_W-WHAT! _She could only gape. She dropped her books, and didn't even hear them crash onto the floor with a thud.

This loud, obnoxious blonde was Uchiha Sasuke's…

_Best friend!_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**You're all lucky, because this was supposedly the end of chapter four. But I'm feeling awfully generous today, so I'll give you guys chapter five, too. A double chapter! Enjoy! xD **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Everyone stared at the pink-haired female who clutched her stomach, doubled over in laughter.

"What's wrong with her?" Naruto whispered to the girl who had been talking to him.

Sakura couldn't believe it. This—this blonde was Uchiha Sasuke's best friend?

She calmed down and her laughter went into stifled giggles. When she looked up, she saw the whole classroom staring at her in curiosity. She turned red, before quickly picking up her books and sitting back into her seat.

Naruto came over, sitting down in the seat in front of her. "What was so funny?"

"Oh," she looked down, her face still red from humiliation. "I just never expected you to be best friends with Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto's face fell. "Don't tell me you like Sasuke too! He always gets the cute looking ones!"

Sakura turned even redder, partly because she had been called cute, but also because he had said she liked Sasuke. They needed a topic change, and quick.

"So are you really best friends with him?" she asked.

Naruto scrunched up his face. "Sasuke-teme? There's no way I would ever be friends with a bastard like him."

"Shut up Usuratonkachi," Sasuke's voice was heard.

_He was listening! Not that it was that hard to listen to, since Naruto's voice is really loud. _

"Sasuke!" Naruto turned red from humiliation, getting off his seat and heading towards the Uchiha. "You bastard!"

Sakura gasped. A fight was already going to happen! She looked around, but everyone else was acting as though Naruto charging at Sasuke was an everyday occurrence.

_Do they fight a lot? _Sakura pondered, thinking about herself and Ino.

Sure enough, the blonde boy's fist stopped an inch away from the Uchiha's. Sasuke didn't even blink.

"Sasuke!" the boy whined. "It's not fair! How come all the girls want an unfeeling bastard like you!"

Sasuke turned away from the boy, already bored. God, why was everyone so annoying?

The second thing he hated about the first day of school was that he had to 'reunite' with his old friends, and his summer of blissful silence and peace would be shattered the moment Naruto opened his big mouth.

"SASUKE! Look at me when I talk to you!"

"Be quiet, dobe."

"What did you call me!"

"You heard me…dobe."

Sakura didn't have much of an idea of what was going on…but were those two really best friends?

She leaned on her desk, unsure of where her homeroom teacher was. Already five minutes had passed, but there was no one in sight.

The door opened, and in stepped a large-bosomed blonde-haired woman.

Some people immediately stood up, addressing her as "Tsunade-sama!"

Sakura was surprised. This young looking woman was the principal?

"Where is that Kakashi!" Her voice was irritated, and Sakura had a feeling that this often happened. Why in the world was a teacher that was so often late even still here? Shouldn't they have been fired already?

The principal, Tsunade, walked over to the house phone, and picked it up. "Shizune! Send me Room 121's locker assignments and class schedules!"

Approximately 45 seconds later, the woman Sakura had met earlier this morning came running in, with a thick folder in her hands.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Everyone snapped to attention. "Shizune here will be passing out your schedules and locker assignments. You have five minutes before the bell for first period rings, so you better hustle!"

Everyone dashed out of their seats the moment they received their papers, rushing to put their belongings into their lockers.

While Sakura was hurrying out, she saw a silver-haired man walk in. He smiled. "Sorry I'm late—hey, where is everyone going! I didn't hand out lockers assignments yet!"

"KAKASHI!" Tsunade was enraged.

Sakura was glad she didn't have to stay to find out what happened to the poor man.

When she arrived at her locker, she was able to get it open quickly, dumping her backpack inside and taking out her binders and pencils.

"Hey, you know Tsunade?" she heard one of the nearby girls whispering. "I've got to find out what she's using. You know she's really fifty years old!"

"No way!" another replied. "She looks like she's hardly thirty!"

Sakura shook her head. This school was already full of surprises.

"We better get going! We've only got a minute before the bell rings!"

_I better get going, too. _Sakura looked down at the piece of paper clutched in her hand. "Math. Kakashi. Room 223." She groaned. Her homeroom teacher was her math teacher too!

"I don't know where room 223 is!" she looked around, but most of the halls were empty already.

"E-excuse me? D-Did you say you w-were going to room 2-223?"

Sakura turned around, and looked down at the girl who had spoken. She had always been considered average height, if not short, but this black-haired white-eyed girl was even shorter than she was! "Yes, I'm going to room 223." She laughed sheepishly. "Could you possibly tell me where that is?"

The girl slowly nodded her head. "I-I'm going there too," her voice was so soft and quiet that Sakura had to lean in to hear her. "F-follow me."

"Thank you so much," Sakura would be eternally grateful to this girl. "I'm Haruno Sakura, by the way."

"H-Hyuuga Hinata," the girl replied.

Sakura smiled. She believed she had just found a new friend.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When they arrived, the teacher was nowhere in sight.

With a sigh, Sakura and Hinata found seats.

"Sakura-chan!" they both looked up, to see a yellow and orange blur headed their way.

Hinata immediately started to turn red, and Sakura noted with an amused smirk that she had now found out who the Hyuuga liked.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto was all smiles. "We're in the same class! Oh, hey Hinata."

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata mumbled in greeting.

Naruto leaned in closer. "Oi, Hinata, you wouldn't mind talking to Neji would you? Maybe you could persuade him to kick Sasuke off the team and make me co-captain instead."

Hinata looked like she was about to faint, and Sakura quickly shoved the fox boy away from the poor girl's face. "Give her some room, Naruto!"

"KYAA! HE'S HERE!" Squeals were heard.

All three looked up, as the door opened and Uchiha Sasuke walked in.

Sakura slapped a hand to her forehead. She couldn't believe this. It was ridiculous. She looked at Hinata, glad that the white-eyed girl didn't seem to be affected by the Uchiha at all.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke," Naruto was mumbling. "It's always about Sasuke."

The bell rang signaling everyone to their seats.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura whispered to the boy in front of her. "Is Kakashi-sensei always this late?"

"Yeah. Always. Hey, watch this."

He walked up to the board and picked up the chalkboard eraser, opening the door slightly and placing it on top.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. _No teacher is going to fall for that. Not to mention, we'll get into trouble. _

Minutes ticked by, and the teacher still had not shown up.

Sakura felt her head drooping. She had stayed up late last night. Maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt…

"SORRY I'M LATE GUYS!"

Her head jerked up and she stared dazedly at the man she had seen this morning. Hatake Kakashi. The door was opened, and everyone watched in horror as the eraser landed on his head with a plop. He picked up the object that had dropped to the ground, examining it casually like nothing had happened. "My first impression of you guys is…I don't like you."

"You're late!" Half the class yelled out.

He put up his hands in defense. "Well…someone threw up in the hallway so I had to take a detour and then—"

"LIAR!"

"Now now," his face turned serious. "calm down. Okay. Attendance." He raised a clipboard, and started to check off names.

"Haruno Sakura!"

"Present."

"A new student, eh? Interesting. Hyuuga Hinata!"

"H-Here!"

"Nice to see you again Hinata-san."

Some more names were called.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

Squeals were heard.

"Hn."

More squeals.

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Wha—huh? Oh…here!"

"I would rather you not sleep in my class, Naruto-kun."

"Yes, sensei."

"Well, then, now that's we're all introduced. Let's start working. Open your books to page thirteen and finish the whole page. Check your work with a partner once you have completed it. Okay then, start!"

When no one made a move, Kakashi sighed. "The books are on my desk. Take one, write your name in it, and start working!"

Some muttering and shuffling was heard, and soon the room was enveloped in silence as the class got to work.

Sakura looked up from her paper, to see her teacher pull out an orange book. _Is that what I think it is? _He flipped it open, and started reading it. _That pervert! _

Sakura sighed. It seemed that her first teacher of the day was a bit loose in the head. _Are all my teachers going to be this eccentric? _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_This really is too easy. _Sakura was done within minutes, and she leaned back and looked around the room. Everyone else was still writing.

Wait! Someone else had finished, and he was currently sitting all the way in the corner of the room, staring out the window.

_Check your work with a partner once you have completed it. _The teacher's words echoed in her mind.

Sakura didn't know what to do. _I-I don't want to work with him! _She didn't exactly know what her reasoning was behind this choice, but she was sure she would be the number one enemy of all the girls in the school if she were to pair up with him. _It's best not to attract attention as the new girl. _

"Haruno-san," Kakashi was looking at her. "Would you like to tell me why you're staring at Sasuke-kun and not doing your work?"

All eyes turned to her.

_Oh no._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Some might think Sakura was a little snobby with the clothes scene, but I seriously do believe that most (if not all) girls will fuss over what they wear on the first day of school. **

**Eh...Naruto is introduced...hope he isn't considered OOC. So...I probably have more to say, but I can't remeber at the moment. Hope you enjoyed! And if Kakshi is the math teacher...can anyone guess what subject Guy-sensei is going to teach? xD  
**

**Next Chapter: Thursay, August 31st.**

**SCHOOL CONTINUES! NEW PEOPLE ARE INTRODUCED! WILL SAKURA SURVIVE?**

**Please Review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**NOTE: Okay, I just came back from a three-day vacation, and my aunt informed me that my computer crashed. **

**I managed to post this chapter because it was already saved on fanfiction, but I lost the rest of my completed chapters. I'm unsure if I'll be able to revive them, and school starts next week for me. I'll be very busy and updates may be a little delayed. But hopefully, it won't be a major delay.**

**Disclaimer: In Profile. **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Would you like to tell me why you're staring at Sasuke-kun and not doing your work?_

Sakura tried her best not to glare at her teacher. "I already finished it," she muttered.

As expected, almost immediately after, the whispers started.

"_That new girl's really fast!"_

"_She finished as quick as Sasuke-kun!"_

"_I bet she's some super nerd or something!"_

Kakashi gave her an amused smile. "I see, so you want to work with Sasuke don't you?"

_NO! I don't want to work with him! _But Sakura couldn't voice her thoughts aloud to the entire class.

Feeling defeated, she walked over to his desk and sat down on the empty chair in front of him. "So…you want to trade papers?"

He didn't even look her way.

**_TALK, DAMNIT! _ **

Outer Sakura laughed nervously. "Then how about comparing formulas?"

He was still looking out the window.

Sakura sighed. "Why don't you just give me your paper and I'll check it by myself?"

He seemed to like that idea, and picked up the paper and thrust it into her hands, and then turned back to the window.

Sakura dropped her head.

_Well…that was productive. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When second period came around, Sakura walked into class with Hinata, glad that she at least knew someone in the class. She was able to be introduced to some of Hinata's old friends.

Inuzuka Kiba reminded her of Naruto, with his loud and obnoxious behavior. His family supposedly owned a pet shop with some of the world's most well-bred dogs, so he had grown up with them his entire life, hence his love for the animals.

Aburame Shino slightly gave her the creeps. He hardly talked to her, wore a high collared shirt which covered up half his face, and seemed to have a strong liking to insects. But Hinata trusted him, so Sakura willed herself to do the same.

Her first day wasn't going as bad as she had expected it to be.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

In another classroom, faraway from the girls, Uchiha Sasuke was sitting in Science and staring out the window once more.

"Sasuke!" his supposed best friend, who was sitting next to him, poked him with a pencil. "Pay attention! You need to explain to me all this physics junk later!"

"Hn." Sasuke didn't even bother to answer.

"Sasuke, did you hear me?"

No answer.

"Sasuke?"

Still no reply.

"SASUKE!"

"Naruto! Would you like to tell me why you're talking in the middle of class?"

"Heh heh," _I'm going to kill that Uchiha. _"I'm sorry, Kurenai-sensei?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura walked into her third period science class feeling extremely tense. Hinata had gone of to another class, and now she didn't know anybody!

Taking a seat, she watched the two boys in front of her.

One was leaning back on his chair, his hair tied into a high ponytail with the tips pointing up at the sky. He kept muttering about something being 'troublesome.'

The other, a big-boned boy, was rubbing his stomach. "I'm hungry," he was constantly complaining. "You think Kurenai-sensei has some snacks in her desk?"

Taking a deep breath, Sakura leaned forward, and began to introduce herself.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Hinata was about ready to collapse.

She couldn't believe she was all alone in a class with Naruto!

"Hinata!" The blonde was so close! "Why are you so red?"

"I-I" She couldn't find the right words to say.

He leaned in closer, much to her dismay. "Do you need to go see the nurse?"

_Thud. _

"Very funny Hinata," Naruto laughed at the girl on the floor.

She remained where she was.

"Oi, Hinata? Hinata! HINATA!"

"Uzumaki Naruto, why are you talking in my class!"

_Not again. _"I'm sorry, Ibiki-sensei?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sakura!"

Sakura smiled when she saw her best friend. Finally, they had a class together.

Ino detangled herself from the group of girls surrounding her, and made her way over to the pink-haired girl. "How's the first day of school?"

Sakura shrugged. "I met some new people. The teachers are mostly nice."

Ino made a face. "Well, you probably won't like our Social Studies teacher this period. He used to be a general in the military or something, and he's a total stickler for the rules."

"I'm sure he can't be that bad—"Sakura didn't get to finish her sentence. In the next moment, her friend was gone. "Ino?"

She found her at the door, accompanied by a whole flock of giggling girls. She shook her head. _Great…it must be—_

Uchiha Sasuke glared at all the annoying people surrounding him.

One would think that after years and years of rejection, the stupid idiots would give up. But instead, they only seemed to increase their efforts.

He shoved past a few of them, making his way to the seat in the corner of the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he was able to spot his house guest standing there, staring at him. He ignored her.

"Why is everyone at the doorway! Get to your seats!" the booming voice startled everyone, and like mice, they all scurried to their desks.

A man walked in, his face set in a stony expression and no trace of mischief in his eyes. "I am Morino Ibiki, and in my class, you follow my rules. No talking, no horseplay, no nothing. It will be an automatic detention if I catch anyone fooling around! Come get your books!"

Sakura looked around, amazed at how the normally loud people all kept their mouths shut.

_Amazing. _She looked up at the man in the front. _Truly amazing. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Lunch has finally arrived! I hope they have ramen! Ramen, ramen, ramen!"

Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Hn."

"Let's sit here!" the blonde pulled out two chairs.

Like the rest of the school, the cafeteria was enormous and held the latest equipment in technology. Circular tables were placed all over the wide space, each seating ten people. Seniors and juniors ate together, while the freshman and sophomores ate at another time.

"Hey look! There's Sakura-chan and Hinata!"

"Dobe, don't call them ov—"

"SAKURA-CHAN! HINATA! COME SIT WITH US!"

Sasuke wanted to strangle the blonde. Now everyone was going to think they could sit at their table if they wanted to.

"Thanks, Naruto," Sakura gave him a bright smile. She had been worrying that she wouldn't be able to find a seat.

"Hey, look who it is. Can we sit with you guys?"

Sasuke looked up to see Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. "No—"

"Of course you can sit here!" The pink-haired girl didn't let him finish. He gave her a pointed glare, but she didn't seem to take notice.

A few minutes passed.

"This is troublesome, but there's nowhere else to sit."

Nara Shikamaru, a classmate of Sasuke's from last year. There was no way he was going to sit here. "Go awa—"

"You're in my science class!" Again, Sakura cut him off. "Sit down, sit down!"

Shikamaru turned around. "Hey Chouji, I found a place for us to sit!"

Sasuke watched Akimichi Chouji, the school's largest and kindest junior walk over, a bag of potato chips already in his hands. "Can I sit here, too, Sasuke?"

Everybody turned towards him.

_No. No. No. _That's what his mind kept telling him to say, but he knew that in the end, the boy would sit there no matter what he said. "Hn. Whatever."

Sakura smiled at him, and he returned it with a glare.

She looked around. "There's still two empty seats. Maybe Ino would want to sit here—"

"No."

She looked up at him in surprise. "No?"

He had already allowed a ton of people to sit at _his _table without his consent. But there was no way he was going to allow the president of his fan club to sit here too. That was something he was never going to change his mind about.

"I don't see why she can't sit here," That girl just didn't know when to give up.

He knew this argument would have gone on forever, so he looked for the quickest way to end it.

Sakura watched as he nonchalantly waved a hand over a table not far away. "That girl already has a seat."

Sure enough, Ino was already sitting with a group of girls; all were laughing and giggling about something.

She gave in, and nodded.

And so, their lunch table was formed.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It was near the end of lunch when Sasuke felt someone behind him.

"Uchiha."

Hardly anyone addressed him like that, and Sasuke didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

Hyuuga Neji.

Sakura looked at the senior standing behind Sasuke, and then glanced at the girl next to her. "Are you guys related?"

Hinata nodded. "Neji is my cousin. He's co-captain of the swim and basketball team along with Sasuke."

"What do you want," Sasuke already had an idea of what he was going to say.

"Remember swimming tryouts are three days from now."

"I already know that. If you have nothing else to say, you can leave."

Neji looked down the Uchiha coolly. "One day, that attitude of yours is going to get you into serious trouble."

A smirk found it's way onto his lips. "Hn."

Sakura watched curiously. They seemed so cold with one another and yet somehow also seemed like they got along real well.

"They always communicate like that," Naruto was saying. "I'll never understand them."

"It's because they're so alike," Kiba explained. "That's why they have a mutual understanding of each other."

"But Kiba, you and Naruto are so alike yet all you guys do is fight," Chouji pointed out.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Kiba and Naruto immediately yelled simultaneously, before looking at each other. "DON'T COPY ME!"

Chouji looked confused. "Hey Shikamaru, did I say the wrong thing?"

Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome."

Sakura watched all of this, and didn't know whether to groan or laugh.

She grinned. What a weird group of friends she had made.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**It may be a little weird for some people to have seniors and juniors eating together but I do know of some schools who follow that system. And for later events, I'll need for it to be this way. Keep in mind the two empty seats, because they might be of importance later on. **

**And I'm sorry if this chapter was confusing. I'm not going to explain every class in later chapters, so I basically used this chapter to introduce all their classes and who has which class with who. It can be pretty boring, but I tried to add some entertainment with Naruto constantly getting into trouble and stuff. **

**So far, Kakashi teaches math. Kurenai-Science (with her genjutsu and stuff,) and Ibiki-social studies (just because he seems like someone who would like to teach that subject.) **

**Ehh…if you have any questions or confusions, feel free to ask and I'll try to explain it to you. **

**NEXT CHAPTER: Wednesday, September 6th (estimated-may be delayed one or two days)  
MORE CRAZY TEACHERS COMING UP! AND WHAT TROUBLES AWAIT SAKURA AT THE END OF SCHOOL? **

**Please Review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**So...MY COMPUTER WAS SAVED! **

**So basically in celebration of the wonderful news I decided to post this chapter THREE days early. xD Enjoy. Happy Labor Day tomorrow! (for those who celebrate it.) **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"AH, THE POWER OF YOUTH!"

That was what Sakura found herself being greeted by the moment she stepped into the classroom.

_This…_was her teacher?

"EVERYONE! EVERYONE! TAKE YOUR SEATS SO WE MAY BEGIN OUR LESSON FOR TODAY!"

She looked at the clock. _But the bell didn't even ring yet._

"MY NAME IS MAITO GAI!" He gave out a hearty laugh. "AND YOU AND I WILL HAVE A LOT OF FUN TOGETHER FOR THIS YEAR! I CAN ALREADY SEE ALL THE EAGER LOOKS ON YOUR FACES! THAT IS THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!"

Sakura looked around at the half-closed eyes and detached expressions. _What eager faces? _

"Who was Shakespeare!" Everyone stayed silent. "He was a genius who clearly understood the meanings of true literature. Let us all go to the library and research him thoroughly! Get up! Get up!"

_The first day of school and he already wants us to research? _She stood up from her seat, when someone brushed past her, and knocked her back into her chair.

"Excuse me!" she snapped. "You've for a lot of nerve—"

The person turned to glare at her.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn." He grunted, before grabbing the sleeve of her shirt and pulling her back up.

_He's in another one of my classes? _Sakura watched his back as he walked away.

She sighed. _Great. Just great._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The library was a large circular room, while stairs on the side led to a second and third floor.

"There are already other classes here!" The girl behind Sakura whispered.

"The library is big enough to hold more than five classes all at once," another girl explained to her friend.

"Why are you still standing in a line? Begin, begin!" Mai gave them a thumbs-up.

Everyone immediately went into action.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Ten minutes later, Sakura found herself all alone. Most people had decided to start their research on Shakespeare's famous plays, but she decided that researching his childhood life would be a better place to begin. Not to mention, it would be less crowded.

Aisles and aisles of books surrounded her, and she had no idea where to commence her research.

"How about this one?" she wondered aloud, and reached for a book, when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

She immediately froze, before quickly putting her hand back down and moving to another aisle.

Someone had been staring at her!

_Nonsense. _She reasoned. _I was just imagining it. _

Re-composing herself, she walked back to where she was, and snuck a glance towards the person's direction. His face was submerged in a book.

_See? It was just your imagination. _She slid the book she was originally going to get out of the shelf, and proceeded to head back downstairs, where the rest of her class was. But…just out of curiosity, she decided to glance towards the stranger again.

He was staring again! Sakura quickly looked away.

_What's the big fuss about anyway? _Sakura tried to calm down. _This is school. He's only a senior. It's not like he's any harm._

**_WHAT THE HELL IS HE STARING AT! _ **Inner Sakura was on a rampage. **_IS THERE SOMETHING IN MY TEETH! _**

Sakura put her book down. _I'll just go ask him. _

She turned towards him and—

"Sakura!" a sudden arm was thrown over her shoulders. "I didn't know you were here, too!"

"Ino?" Sakura stared questioningly at the girl. "Did you need something?"

"Well," Ino let go of her. "Since you're here, I'll just tell you right now."

"Tell me what…?"

Ino took a deep breath, and then let out a shriek of excitement. "We're going to watch the swimming tryouts!"

Sakura didn't understand and just stared quizzically at her friend. "I thought we weren't allowed."

"I asked that Uzumaki kid and he agreed. I'll---I mean, _we'll _get to see Sasuke-kun shirtless!"

"Wait a minute, Naruto isn't the captain of the team; he doesn't have the authority to let us in."

Ino let out an impatient sigh. "Sakura, even though they don't act like it, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke are best friends. I assure you he'll be able to get us in…and Sakura, why are you so red?"

Sakura touched her cheeks. Had she been blushing? "I-It's nothing." _I was just remembering my first night at the Uchiha Manor. _

Ino gave her a skeptical look, but seemed to shrug it off. "Anyway, meet me outside the pool room on the day of the tryouts."

Sakura was unsure. "I really don't think this is a good i—Ino?"

She realized the blonde had already disappeared.

Shaking her head at her best friend's obsessiveness over Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura remembered that she still had something she needed to do.

She looked towards where the stranger was before, but saw that his attention was now diverted to someone else, a girl with two buns atop her head.

_I really should ask him why he was staring before. _It was clear he was busy. _Well, he wasn't really bothering me. _It would be rude to just walk in on their conversation. _I'll let it go this time._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Hinata didn't know whether she was blessed or cursed. Once again, she was in a class with Uzumaki Naruto.

"I hope you're feeling better now," Naruto gave her a pat on the back. "You really scared me back there when you fainted."

"S-Sorry, Naruto-kun," she murmured, feeling faint all over again because of their close proximity.

Naruto laughed. "I can't believe Ibiki-sensei gave me a detention on the first day of school. Talk about harsh."

The girl looked down in shame. _Naruto-kun got in trouble because of me? _

"Don't worry about it!" Naruto flashed her a grin, seemingly sensing her discomfort. "I would have gotten one sooner or later. Everyone knows I'm a loudmouth!"

"T-thank you…Naruto-kun."

_You really mean a lot to me. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Two periods later, Sakura walked out of the locker room, sweating and panting.

Sarutobi Asuma, her gym teacher, had been tougher than she expected.

**_But school's finally over! _** Her inner self chirped happily.

Yes, finally, school was done. She had made it through her first day mostly unscathed. Thank goodness.

Fifteen minutes later, Sakura arrived at her locker. She was still unfamiliar with the school's winding staircases and complicated hallways and had gotten lost several times. Most people had already headed out of the school.

Quickly tossing all of her belongings into her bag, she closed her locker and hurried to get out of school, not wanting to be the last one to leave.

When she walked outside, she was glad to see that the majority of the students were still wandering around, and had not gone home yet.

Now…if only she could find Sasuke.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Uchiha Sasuke flung open the door, and stepped inside his house.

He didn't stay outside and converse and socialize like the rest of the idiots at his school. When the bell rang, he went right home.

Itachi was in the living room, reading a report of some sort. Sasuke chose to ignore him.

Itachi, however, had something to say. "Do you need any help with your homework, little brother?"

The younger Uchiha clenched his fists, hating how his older sibling could sound so mocking to his ears even when his tone was apathetic.

It took all of his willpower not to turn around and lunge at Itachi. With stiff shoulders, he marched upstairs and slammed the room shut.

Itachi put down his report. "My foolish little brother didn't even notice who he has forgotten."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Mostly everybody was departing now, waving goodbye to their friends and getting into their cars and driving away.

Sakura, on the other hand, was still looking around, unable to locate the Uchiha.

"He can't seriously expect me to find my way back alone!" she exclaimed. When five more minutes of searching passed and he was still nowhere to be seen, she realized that was exactly what he expected her to do.

Sakura bit her lip. She had been so nervous this morning that she hadn't even taken the time to memorize the path from the Uchiha Manor to the academy and back. She never thought that he would abandon her just like that!

"Uchiha Sasuke!" she cried out, ignoring the weird glances she received from passerbies. "I can't believe you!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It was 2:30 when his mother entered his room.

"Sasuke?" Uchiha Mikoto stared at her son, who lay on his bed with a textbook in his hands. "Do you know where Sakura-chan is?"

"How should I know," he mumbled. It wasn't like it was his duty to watch over her or anything.

A frown formed on his mother's lips. "That's strange. I haven't seen her since school ended. Do you think she went out with her friends? I was going to ask her to come shopping with me, but—"

"I told you I don't know where she's gone," Sasuke was busy and did not want to be bothered with frivolous things such as this.

His mother sighed. "Well, I'm going to be gone and I'll probably be back around seven or so. Take care."

The door was closed.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura glanced at her watch. School had already been out for half an hour, and still, she could not find her way back to the Uchiha Manor.

The neighborhood's streets were almost as complicated as the school's hallways. Even one wrong turn would be a fatal mistake, and in Sakura's case, she had already made several.

**_There's no way I'm lost! _ **She would not let her pride and dignity be battered and belittled. **_I'll show that Uchiha. I can find my way back without him! _**

But even so, she couldn't help but glance down at her watch, and hope she could make it back before sunset.

I mean, how hard could it be to find one house in a neighborhood?

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke stared at the ceiling. It was already three o' clock, and the girl still had not returned.

Where was she?

_She couldn't possibly—_

He immediately dismissed the thought. That girl was probably shopping with that Ino girl again.

He tried to rest, but her overly cheerful face popped up into his mind every time he closed his eyes.

With a annoyed groan, he sat up, staring out the window.

_Was that girl actually lost? _

He scoffed to himself. The girl was annoying, but even he could admit she wasn't stupid.

_There was no way she couldn't find her way back. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Haruno Sakura groaned in frustration, before collapsing down onto the pavement.

Had she said something earlier about it being easy to find a house in one neighborhood? Well, scratch that. It was like finding a needle in a haystack! All houses looked the same: Enormous, Luxurious, and somewhat intimidating.

_Damnit. _She banged a fist onto her knee.

Screw her pride.

_She was officially lost. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**I know! I know! Everyone thought that Gai would be GYM, but I made him an English teacher. Because of Kakashi teaching math, I decided he would be the perfect English teacher. Because to me, English is the opposite of Math (and Kakashi and Gai are rivals.) And besides, just imagine Gai with Shakespeare. xD I had so much trouble writing out his character though. **

**Sasuke is just so evil isn't he (and he really needs to have a better memory.)**

**I think the person who was staring at her in the library was pretty obvious. But just for kicks, can anyone guess who it is? **

**Hopefully, this chapter was better than the last.**

**Next Chapter: Sunday, September 8th **

**Sakura's lost! Oh no! Will Sasuke find her? And who's that stranger in the park...Trouble? **

**Please Review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Something was really weird with the site and I couldn't reply to any of the reviews. I found out this morning that the problem was fixed (could have been my email.) So I was unable to reply to any questions. If the questions still are not answered in this chapter. Then please ask me again. I will do my best to answer. **

**XXXXXXXXXX**_  
_

_I can't believe this is happening to me. _Sakura stared at the lowering sun in the distance. It would be dark in a few hours. Her feet were sore and aching and the heavy backpack was starting to put a strain onto her shoulder and back. She needed a rest.

Much to her luck, she spotted a park up ahead, and where there was a park, there was most likely to be a park bench. Quickly, she made her way over.

Sure enough, several benches lay lined up along the fence, and with a sigh of relief, Sakura dropped down and leaned back against the wooden bench, closing her eyes and relishing as much as she could before she needed to stand up again and continue her search. Images of different ways to kill the youngest Uchiha immediately appeared into her mind. This was his entire fault.

"If I can't…laps…300 pushups!"

The sudden voice made her eyes snap open, and she quickly scampered up. Had someone else been in the park?

Automatically, her feet started walking towards the source of the mysterious voice.

_I really should mind my own business. _Curiosity bested her logic. _Maybe a little peek wouldn't hurt._

There he was, the owner of the voice, running laps around a track that Sakura didn't even realize had been there until now.

He seemed to be repeating the same line. "If I can't do 200 laps, then I'll have to do 300 pushups!"

She gasped. 300 pushups! Was this guy insane!

The noise caused the boy to stop, and his eyes widened when he saw who was looking at him.

Sakura herself was also in quite a state of shock. _It's—it's the guy who was staring at me in the library! _She immediately thought of her English teacher. They had a strong resemblance…especially the eyebrows.

"May I be of assistance?"

Sakura jumped. When had he gotten there?

"I—I was just leaving," she murmured, keeping her head down.

"Wait!" He grabbed her hand. "Let's go out together! I will protect you until I die!"

Sakura yanked out of his grasp. _Okay, he's definitely a nutcase. _"I—uh—I really got to go!"

**_EWWW! _**Inner Sakura was desperately trying to rid her hands of his 'touch.' **_FREAK! _**

"I am Rock lee!" he continued on as if he hadn't heard her. "I saw you earlier today at the library and couldn't help but be awed by your beauty. You are an angel!"

_This—this guy is…_ Sakura couldn't find the words to describe him. She didn't know if she should be flattered or creeped out. "T—Thank you?"

The boy who called himself Lee quickly bowed. "I am sorry if I startled you."

"T-That's okay," Sakura looked towards the track. "Were you serious about 200 laps?" She blurted it out before she could stop herself.

He raised his chest in pride. "Of course! With hard work, I will someday be able to surpass the skills of a genius! I am sure of it!" But then his shoulders dropped in defeat. "But I was only able to complete 199 laps when you came."

"Oh..." was she supposed to feel ashamed of herself? "I'm really sorry."

"No, it's alright!" He flashed her a smile (she took note all his teeth seemed blindingly white.) "I have been meaning to talk to you for a long time!" His brows creased. "But people do not usually wander to this place. Are you lost?"

"Yes—!" _Wait…I don't want his help! _"I mean no!"

Lee cocked his head in confusion.

She blushed a deep shade of red. "I—uh—could you tell me where the Uchiha Manor is?"

Lee, if possible, looked even more confused than before. "The Uchiha Manor? I know where it is. But why would you want to go there?"

Sakura bit her lip, weighing her decisions. She didn't completely like this guy, with his…unique…attitude and strange appearance, but at the moment, he was her only source to go home and he didn't really seem like the type of person who would intentionally cause her harm. She would just have to trust him. "My name is Haruno Sakura. How about I explain it to you while you lead me there?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Twenty Minutes Later..._

"That's horrible!" Lee exclaimed. "How could Sasuke-kun do that to Sakura-san?"

Sakura shrugged. She could never understand what Sasuke was thinking…but then again, she couldn't really tell what the other Uchiha males were thinking either. Perhaps it ran in the family…? "He probably forgot that I existed." Sakura looked at him. "You never did tell me how you know Sasuke-kun."

"Sasuke-kun and I are captains of the track team." Lee answered immediately. "He has grown fast, as expected under the wonderful guidance of Gai-sensei!"

_The English teacher is the track coach? _Sakura glanced sideways at the bushy-browed boy. _Lee seems to admire him…I wonder why?_

"The Uchiha Manor will be right around the corner," Lee came to a stop. "I will be sure to scold Sasuke-kun tomorrow at school for his rash behavior. He deserves severe punishment."

_Yes…he does deserve it, doesn't he? _An idea suddenly came to Sakura. She looked down at her watch. It was only 4:00. "Lee?" He turned to look at her. "How about we give him a little punishment right now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let's give Sasuke-kun a little revenge. You want to show me around town?"

Lee looked doubtful. "I do not think Sasuke-kun would like that."

"Oh, you said it yourself!" Sakura was already imagining the look on his face if she still had not returned after sunset. "He deserves punishment, right! Please?"

"Alright…"

Happily, she linked arms with Lee, a smirk slowly crawling it's way onto her face.

_Will you worry about me now, Sasuke-kun? _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Six Thirty.

It was already 6:30. Where the hell was that stupid girl? She had already disappeared for four and a half hours.

Sasuke growled. If his mother returned home and realized that he had supposedly 'left' her at school, he would be in for it. Or worse, his father found out what he had done. Personally, he didn't think it was his responsibility to watch after her, but that wouldn't be what his parents would think.

_I can't believe she's actually lost._

He had to find her.

Grabbing his jacket, he quickly hurried downstairs.

"Going somewhere?" Itachi was still in the living room.

"None of your business," he snapped back to his older brother as he pushed open the garage door.

"You know," Itachi continued nonchalantly, ""If you're going to go look for that Sakura girl, you better hurry up. It's going to rain soon."

Sasuke scowled.

_Damn his brother for knowing everything. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"And then Neji turned red and fainted! I didn't understand! It was the curry of life!"

Sakura laughed at Lee's story. He had been telling her of how he had taken his two best friends, Neji and Tenten to eat the supposed 'best curry in the world.' They had all immediately detested it, and Lee just couldn't seem to comprehend why.

The sun had set, and a quick glance at her watch told her it was already seven. "I think it's time we go back—"

A sudden clap of thunder cut her off, and almost instantly after, rain started pouring down. Quickly, Lee and she jumped up. Neither of them had brought umbrellas, after all. It was time to go home...

Thirty minutes later, Sakura stood on the Uchiha Manor doorstep and watched Lee's back vanish into the night as he ran back to his own home. They were both drenched, having been in the rain for so long, but Sakura wished him good luck and prayed he wouldn't catch a cold.

She shivered as the bitter chill of the night penetrated through the barrier of her clothes. She would catch a cold herself if she didn't hurry in.

_I can't wait to see the look on Sasuke-kun's face though. I just hope he doesn't get into **too **much trouble. _

"I'm back!" she yelled into the darkness. No one answered. _Is anyone home? _

A figure stepped out of the shadows; it was Itachi. "Oh, it's you." He greeted her emotionlessly.

"Itachi-san, where is Sasuke-kun?"

Itachi stared at her. "He's outside looking for you."

"Oh, that's nice," Sakura smiled. Nothing could ruin her good mood—

_Wait…_

"WHAT!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke didn't understand. He had already searched every section of the neighborhood five times, and still, not even a flash of pink crossed his way.

He squinted, trying to see ahead in the thick fog. It really was quite dangerous for him to be here, riding a motorcycle in the night with the rain hammering down on him. But it's not like he had a choice. His parents would kill him if he didn't find the girl.

_Where was she!  
_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"What do you mean he's outside!" Sakura cried.

"He's looking for you," Itachi answered calmly.

"Me? Is he crazy!" Sakura choked out. This was her fault!"He could die out there!"

"My foolish little brother can hold his own against a little bit of rain."

"_A little! It's pouring out there!" _Didn't he care about his brother at all? "We've got to go look for him—What are you doing!"

Itachi was already stepping out the door. "Leaving." He stated the obvious.

"Well—wait for me!"

"I don't think you understand," He turned to look at her. "_I'm _leaving._"_

Sakura realized what he was saying. "Itachi, don't tell me you have another one of your stupid meetings at a time like this!"

He didn't reply, but turned his head away and stared into nothingness. Sakura wasn't even sure he had heard what she said. "I'm sorry Haruno-san," he finally spoke up. "Maybe another time." And then he was gone.

Sakura huffed. "I'll just have to look for him myself!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke sat on the wet park bench, savoring the feeling of the cold rain sliding down his face. He would say he was giving up, but failure was not a word associated with him. Uchihas never gave up, and he was no exception.

Could something have happened to her?

Being the pessimist he was, his mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusions. Theft, Kidnapping, Assault?

He sighed, closing his eyes. Maybe this was only a dream. He would wake up in his bed and realize that Haruno Sakura never existed. Yeah…that's right. This was all just one very long nightmare.

"Sasuke-kun!"

_God, that voice is annoying._

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke!"

_Will it shut up already? _

"Sasuke-kun! Where are you!"

_Damn. It's getting louder. _

"SASUKE-KUN!"

_Hold on…that voice! _

He bolted up. "Sakura?" he called out into the darkness.

There was a pause. "Sasuke-kun! Sasuke, where are you? I don't see you!"

Sakura looked around frantically. She had heard his voice! "Sasuke-kun! Are you there!" She couldn't see anything. "Sasuke?"

There was a sudden tap on her shoulder. "Hn." He had followed her voice.

_**Damn, he looks hot when he's wet. **_

Inner Sakura was barely heard as relief overcame the pink-haired girl. "Sasuke-kun!" Without even thinking twice, she lunged at him and wrapped him into an embrace, barely noticing him stiffening under her touch. She was so relieved! A string of apologies and explanations burst from her mouth. "It's my entire fault! I didn't mean for it to happen! I wanted to get revenge on you for leaving me but I never expected you to come out and look for me. You could have died out here!"

Sasuke stared down at the girl clinging onto him. He would have pushed her away, except that he was too tired and he could see her skin turning blue from the chill. His parents would be furious if she caught a cold, and they would blame him no matter what he said in defense. He forced himself to be hugged and kept silent.

_He smells so nice. _Sakura unconsciously snuggled closer to him, seeking the warmth and comfort he provided.

**_It's raining, you're both soaked, and you're pressing up against him. What does this image imply? _**Inner Sakura was cackling like a mad woman.

Suddenly realizing what she was doing, Sakura's eyes snapped open and she quickly pulled away, glad that the darkness was able to hide her blush. If Sasuke noticed anything, he didn't make any indication of it. "W-we should go back." She tried to keep her voice from wavering. "We'll catch colds if we don't."

"Hn." He was already back on his bike. "Get on."

She did so, and delicately wrapped her arms around his waist. She was going to be in so much trouble when they got back.

Sasuke revved the engine once, before he took off into the darkness. Finally, he was going home. Who knew that one girl could have caused so much trouble for him in one day?

Sasuke could only shake his head.

_She's so annoying._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Yes...so the person was Lee. I didn't realize that the Tenten thing made so many people think it was Neji. Yes...the side pairing will be Nejiten, but that doesn't mean that Lee and Tenten do not interact at all. Congrats to the few who guessed it was Lee, and hopefully he stayed in character. **

**And to those who guessed it was Neji or Gaara or whoever, do not feel bad...I reread the chapter and realized that it wasn't so obvious after all. **

**Soo...one of the fluffier chapters I've written...since I've been deprived of Sasusaku fluff lately, so I had to write this chapter. Eh...not much to say about it. I hope everyone stayed in character. And no, Sasuke will not start feeling differently about Sakura now. He still dislikes her very much. **

** And Itachi...well...KYAA! SO HOT! xD **

** Next Chapter: Wednesday, September 13th**

**SWIMMING TRYOUTS! SAKURA GIVES SASUKE ADVICE!**

**Please Review!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION:**

**I NEED A TEAM NAME. SO FAR, I HAVE TRIED TO THINK UP OF NAMES AND ONLY COME UP WITH THE KONOHA FLAMES. I WANT A NAME THAT RESMEBLES KONOHA (FIRE, LEAF, NINJAS, ETC.) AND PERHAPS PEOPLE COULD SUGGEST IDEAS TO ME. THERE'S NO GURANTEE I'LL USE YOUR SUGGESTIONS, BUT THEY WOULD HELP. **

**Vocab:**

**Medley Relay- four people in a swimming relay. Order of strokes: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle. **

**Individual Relay- one swimmer. Order of strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle. **

**WARNING: THE SWIMMING TRYOUTS IN THIS CHAPTER IS NOWHERE NEAR THE ORTHODOX WAY. I HAD TO MAKE IT THE WAY IT IS FOR A CERTAIN SCENE TO OCCUR. PLEASE DO NOT REVIEW AND TELL ME THAT I HAVE SCREWED UP MY TRYOUTS, BECAUSE I KNOW. THANK YOU. (AND ON A SIDE NOTE, THERE WILL BE NO JUNIOR VARSITY OR VARSITY IN THE STORY. IT WILL BE ALL FOUR GRADES ON ONE TEAM.) **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Three days passed quicker than she had hoped, and now Sakura stood outside the pool room door with an excited Ino by her side.

In big bold letters on the door read "**TRYOUTS IN SESSION. DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT PERMISSION.**"

"Are you sure we're allowed, Ino? I don't want to get in trouble." Sakura watched four dejected girls walk out of the room, obviously denied the permission to watch the boys. It only made Sakura more nervous.

"Don't worry!" Ino assured her. She pushed open the door and they stepped in. "I'm positive Sasuke-kun will let us—"

"You're not allowed to be in here," a very irritated Uchiha was standing in front of them, having just shooed out four fan girls. "Leave."

Ino sputtered. "B-But Sasuke-kun!"

He turned his full glare onto the blonde, and she immediately shut up. Everyone knew not to anger the Uchiha, especially when he was already in such a state of ire.

"Oi, Sasuke!" A happy Naruto came bounding over. "What's the problem? They can stay can't they?"

"They will be annoying."

Ino quickly stepped in, a big smile plastered on her face. There was no way she was about to miss Uchiha Sasuke shirtless. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun! Sakura and I guarantee you we'll be silent! Please can we stay and watch? Oh please Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke was silent for a long moment. He mumbled something inaudible and walked away.

"Yeah!" Ino pumped her fists in the air. "Success!" She grabbed her companion's hand. "Come on, Sakura. Let's get onto the stands."

Upon arrival, Sakura realized that another girl was there too. "Hinata, what are you doing here?"

"N-Neji and I ride home together." Hinata turned red. "A-and I wanted to watch…"

"Naruto-_kun,_ right?" Sakura and Ino grinned at each other.

"Sakura-san!"

Surprised, Sakura turned around, and watched Lee running towards her. "Lee-san?" There was a girl following close behind him.

"It's nice to see you here, Sakura-san!" Lee quickly grabbed the other girl and pushed her in front of him. "This is the beautiful flower I was talking about before! Her name is Sakura-san! Sakura-san, this is Tenten!"

The girl smiled at her. "Nice to meet you."

Sakura smiled in return. So this girl was Tenten. Lee had told her she was the head of the girl's basketball team.

A whistle was blown, and all heads turned towards the boy's locker room.

"Swimming Tryouts are about to begin," the coach was an average-height man, with his hair tied up in a style much similar to Shikamaru's. There was a slash across his nose, which Sakura guessed was probably caused from a swimming accident. A group of boys came out of the locker room, ranging from freshman to seniors. Sakura noticed Sasuke, Neji, and Naruto all were not present. "If any of you are new," he addressed the boys. "My name is Umuino Iruka. Konoha has been at the top in sports for several years now. I intend to keep it this way. The best will be selected out of you guys to complete our swim team, so try your hardest today, okay? Let me introduce the returning members."

The locker room door was opened again, and four boys stepped out. "Co-captains Hyuuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke." They nodded at the coach. "Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto waved at the girls. "And Inuzuka Kiba." He grinned. Sakura never realized that Kiba was also on the team until now. She also noticed that the four boys were the only ones who weren't shirtless. They weren't swimming today?

Iruka continued, "These boys will be swimming the Medley Relay for our team. They will take part in deciding who will be selected onto the team this year, so remember they're the guys you have to impress."

"KYAA! GO SASUKEKUN!"

Sakura watched her best friend. _I thought she said she was going to be quiet. _

"Alright, I want the freshman to come with me," Kiba directed the boys to a lane in the pool. "We're going to start with backstroke. Sophomores go over to Naruto over there for breaststroke."

"Juniors go to Sasuke for freestyle, and seniors come here for Butterfly. We will rotate once everyone has gone." Neji took four clipboards from Iruka-sensei. "Begin now!"

Sakura looked down at the rows of boys, each one swimming their designated stroke. Besides her, Tenten and Ino had gone into a discussion of who they thought was going to make the team.

"They're probably going to be mostly seniors," Tenten stated matter-of-factly.

"There's a possibility that won't happen!" Ino countered. "After all, Sasuke-kun made it onto the team in his freshman year!"

"So did Neji," Tenten looked down at the two captains. "But that's because they're both geniuses. Regular freshman would never stand a chance against the higher grades."

"But—" Ino never got to finish what she was going to say.

"You're so uncoordinated!"

"You're the one that got the lanes messed up!"

"Don't talk to me like that you stupid idiot!"

"Who are you calling an idiot!"

Kiba and Naruto were yelling at each other, looking like they were ready to pounce at any given moment. The freshman and sophomores they were supposed to be directing quickly backed away, afraid to get caught into the middle of the brawl.

_Aren't they supposed to be dong the relay? _Sakura looked worriedly at the two boys. _How are they going to do that if all they ever do is argue? _

She could tell by the looks on the faces of some freshman that they were thinking along the same lines as her.

"Sakura-san is worrying about their cooperation, isn't she?" Lee asked her. Surprised, Sakura nodded her head embarrassedly.

Tenten gave her a reassuring wink. "Don't worry. Even though they act like that, they are completely different when it is time to race."

"S-School's always underestimate them b-because they're always fighting," Hinata timidly added in. "B-But when the competition starts, we always end up surprising them."

Sakura nodded her head in understanding. _I see. So I shouldn't have doubted them. _She stood up. "HEY FRESHMAN!" All heads turned to her. "WHAT'S WITH THE FACES! WHERE'S THE DETERMINATION!"

Sasuke stared up at the girl, annoyed. _I thought I told her to keep quiet. _

"Guys, break it up," Iruka pushed the bickering boys apart. "You have a job to do."

They glared at each other one last time, but nevertheless, resumed their positions. Tryouts began once again.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

About an hour later, the tryout candidates sat on the bottom bleachers, panting from exhaustion and fatigue. If tryouts were this tough, then who knew what the real practice was going to be like?

Ino was disappointed while next to her, Sakura was relieved. Sasuke had not removed his shirt.

"Nice job guys," Iruka congratulated them. "I'm going to go check up on something with Tsunade-sama, so just sit tight for another couple of minutes until I come back okay?" He turned to Neji. "I'll trust you to look after things."

"Come on," Tenten got up. "Tryouts are over. We can go down."

The group reached the bottom, when—

"I don't understand why Konoha is so strong!"

They stopped, and looked at where the voice had come from. A boy, a senior, was talking to one of his buddies.

"It's full of hotheads and dropouts," he gave a blatant glance towards Naruto and Kiba. Sakura didn't like where this was going. "I was the captain of my swim team back at my old school. I mean, I can understand why Hyuuga Neji, a senior, is captain. But a junior? A junior is incapable of being a good captain. This just shows how low Konoha's standards are."

His companion laughed. "Take, Uchiha Sasuke is not just any normal junior."

The boy named Take scoffed. "Uchiha Sasuke is nobody but a boy who uses his family name to manipulate others to do his bidding. He has no real skill. I could beat him any day, anywhere."

"Hn." Sakura jumped. Had he been there all along? "Would you like to test that theory?"

A flash of surprise crossed over the Take's face, but he quickly covered it with a sneer. "I wouldn't want to make the _captain _look bad." His emphasis on captain was clearly sarcastic.

Sasuke didn't reply, instead opted to lift up his shirt (with a delighted squeak from Ino.) Sakura quickly turned away, her face burning. Even now, she was still affected by the sight of those muscles.

Sasuke was already in position. "I don't have all day," he stated monotonously.

Take turned red. How dare that junior humiliate him in front of all these people? That Uchiha was too arrogant for his own good. It was time to knock him off his high horse. Angrily, he stepped up next to Sasuke. "I am Miruzuka Take, former swim team captain of—"

"I'm not interested," Sasuke cut him off.

Take clenched his teeth. _That bastard…_

Naruto stepped onto a chair. He cleared his throat, and cupped his hand as though he was talking into a microphone. "Uchiha Sasuke and Miruzuka Take will now compete in the individual medley."

Tenten tugged at the sleeve of Neji's shirt, "Aren't you going to stop this?"

Neji did not answer right away. "No. I want to see the results."

"Ready! Set! GO!"

They took off, landing in the water at the same time. First stroke: Butterfly.

As the first lap proceeded, it was clear who was winning. The senior was constantly in the lead, even if not by much.

"Sasuke-kun is losing!" Ino covered her eyes.

Sakura wondered what the Uchiha was thinking. _He wouldn't lose that easily…would he?_

As they turned and pushed off for the second lap, miraculously, something seemed to awaken in Sasuke, and his movements became sharper and his strokes became faster. All they could do was watch in amazement. He was quickly catching up.

Breaststroke was next, and with an extra powerful push, Sasuke gained the lead.

"SASUKE-KUN'S GOING TO WIN!" Ino was jumping up and down. "GO SASUKE-KUN!" Hinata stood by her, trying her best to calm the over-excited girl before she slipped on the wet tile. She wasn't having much success.

In the end, Sasuke won by a huge gap.

Everyone seemed a bit confused. Hadn't he been losing before?

"Sasuke wasn't planning on swimming today," Neji handed a towel to the Uchiha. "He had only warmed up a little bit before, and he knew that he would probably strain his muscles if he didn't adjust to the water first. Also, if Take saw that he was winning, then he would most likely let his guard down. Isn't that right…Sasuke?"

Sakura nodded her head in understanding while besides her, Lee remarked that 'Sasuke-kun is amazing!' She had to agree with Lee.

Sasuke took the towel from the Hyuuga. "That warm up wasn't challenging at all," he stated dully.

Take, who was being tended to his friends on another side, heard what the Uchiha said, and his ears quickly turned red. "Who do you think you are!" he was charging at the boy. "I'll show you, you little—"

"Alright everyone, sorry for the long wait!" Iruka looked around at the silent pack. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

Take quickly withdrew his fist. He didn't want his chances of getting onto the team ruined.

"Everything's fine," Neji confirmed.

Iruka smiled. "Well then, the list will be posted tomorrow morning. Everyone get a good night's sleep, okay?" He shared a knowing look with the four boys, and Sakura wondered what part they were going to play in the choosing of the new team members.

Tryouts were over.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura groaned, and her eyes fluttered open to be greeted by darkness.

Slowly sitting up, she rubbed her eyes. Her clock told her it was around midnight, and Sakura was not one who usually woke up in the middle of her sleep. What had caused her to awaken?

Wait! There it was again! The sound of water.

She groped for the light switch in the black, but immediately flipped it shut when the light blinded her eyes.

Sighing, she grabbed a jacket and hurried downstairs.

"Who in the world…?" Sakura slipped on some shoes, and unlatched the sliding door leading to the backyard. She stepped out into the night, and stared wide eyed at the figure in the pool "Sasuke-kun?"

Awestruck, she could only stare at him.

She didn't know if to describe him as a cheetah, swift and powerful, or as a swan, beautiful and graceful. If possible, he was both. The way his face was serious and yet relaxed… the perfect arch of his arms in every stroke…everything hypnotized her. Her eyes followed every movement made by his (deliciously shaped) body. She—simply put—was mesmerized.

He stopped after noting her presence and climbed out, water dripping down his hair. He looked like a celestial being under the moonlight. Yes, that was exactly what he was—a god.

He grabbed a towel, and draped it over his shoulders, before turning his eyes to her. "What are you doing here."

"I should be asking you the same thing," Sakura's eyes moved from his stomach, to his chest, to his eyes. Everything about him seemed so perfect…at least at the moment.

He turned away from her, and sat down onto one of the pool chairs, "Go back to sleep." It was not a request. His eyes left her and went to a clipboard on the table. Apparently, he had other business to tend to.

Sakura pretended she hadn't heard a word he said, and walked over to see what he was looking at. She was curious, after all. "This is…" Names were listed on the sheet of paper, each with a checkbox besides them. "The swim team?"

"Hn." He checked a name with a pen. "Four people."

Sakura understood. "You have to choose four?"

"Freestyle."

"Four of the best in freestyle?"

"Hn. Go back to sleep."

Sakura ignored him once again, and leaned closer. Hold on…why was there a check on Miruzuka Take's name! Wasn't he _that_ senior! "Sasuke, what are you doing!"

Sasuke gave her an exasperated glance, like he had to explain the 'ABC's' to a toddler. "He is fast."

"What about him?" Sakura pointed to the name of one of the sophomores. "His time is almost the same as that Take's."

"The sophomore is slower. Go back to sleep." How many times was he going to have to say that to her before she listened?

"He's only slower by two seconds!" Sakura was bewildered. "Surely, it doesn't matter that much—"

"Even a second is crucial in this sport," Sasuke was losing patience. "Go back to sleep."

"Who cares about that?" Sakura knew she wasn't in the position to be arguing with him, since she hardly knew anything about the sport, but she trusted her judgment. "That Take is only going to lower the team's morale! Can't you see he has his mind set on replacing you? It's going to cause trouble!"

"It doesn't matter, as long as the team wins."

Sakura wanted to punch him…hard. Why couldn't he get it into his thick skull that choosing the senior would be a bad idea! She jabbed her finger into his chest. "Listen here, Uchiha Sasuke, I know he's only a sophomore, and he's slower, but he'll improve, won't he? All he needs is the write training! That Take is as stubborn as a mule and he probably won't listen to any advice given to him. You're making the wrong choice!"

"Go back to sleep."

She sighed, the fight in her slowly diminishing, and Sakura removed her finger from his chest. "Please consider it, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke watched her disappear into the house. With the pen dangling in between his fingers, he turned back to the list.

He scoffed. "She never shuts up."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, when Sakura came downstairs, Sasuke had already left for school to attend an early team meeting. She could already tell it was going to be a bad day.

She walked to school alone, though it didn't make much of a difference. He never talked to her anyway…

A crowd was gathered around the front door, and Sakura managed to squeeze through to see what the excitement was all about. Her heart dropped when she realized it was a list of the new members of the swim team. _I don't want to see this. _

Turning around, she excused herself out of the horde of people. Sasuke would not have listened to her…

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!"

There were yells of surprise and resentment as people were jostled aside. Sakura felt herself being shoved by rough hands, and looked up to see a livid Take storming his way towards the captains. The paper had been ripped off the board and was now clutched tightly in his hands.

"I don't see my name on here!" He spat into the faces of the two captains. Surprisingly, they didn't seem intimidated at all. "I demand you to change this typo!"

Sasuke was the one who answered, "There is no typo," he answered levelly. "You are not up to Konoha's standards."

"You—You—You're in for it now," Take swung his arm back, his hands forming into a fist. "I'm going to knock that arrogance out of you! I'm going to beat you senseless!"

The Uchiha had no reaction; just stood there looking as though he had better places to be. This only fueled the anger boiling in Take. The hand swung down, and Sasuke made no move to avoid it.

_Swipe. _

"Now, now, there's no need to be fighting so early in the morning," a hand had circled the boy's wrist.

_Kakashi-sensei! _What was with these people and appearing out of nowhere? _Had he been watching all along? _

A lighthearted smile played along his lips, but the edge in his eyes told everyone that he wasn't fooling around. Take tried to pull away from the man's iron grip, but he was clearly having trouble. Kakashi was strong. "You know fighting isn't permitted on school grounds." His grip tightened. "You wouldn't want to get expelled would you?"

"I-I'm sorry," Take was forced to mutter, his voice starting to strain because of the pressure on his wrist.

Kakashi smiled. "Good! Then it's all settled." He let go of the boy's hand.

With an indignant snort, Take backed away, flinging the paper onto the ground. "Whatever," he grumbled. "I—I don't need this stupid team anyway."

"Hn." Sasuke got up. "I didn't need your help."

"What, not even a thank you?" Kakashi sighed, though his voice had returned to its normal playful tone. "Kids are so rude these days, aren't they?"

Sakura watched Take storm away, and then turned her eyes to the sophomore she had recommended as he cautiously tiptoed over to the abandoned paper lying on the ground, and delicately picked it up. A noise of jubilation and surprise was choked out of him. "I—I MADE IT! I MADE IT!" He ran over to catch up with the captains. "THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CHOOSING ME, SASUKE-SENPAI! NEJI-SENPAI!"

"Move," Sasuke glared down at the boy, before brushing past him and walking into the school. He seemed to be in a worse mood than he usually was in the mornings.

Neji, who was slightly more considerate, gave the boy a nod in congratulation before he too disappeared.

Sakura gaped. _T-The sophomore made it? _Even her mind couldn't seem to process the information. He had actually listened to her! Uchiha Sasuke had actually taken her advice!

"Oi Sakura?" Ino appeared next to her. She snapped a finger in front of her face. Sakura blinked, and broke out of her trance. "What's with the smile? People are staring, you know."

Sakura turned to her best friend, a twinkle in her eyes. "It's nothing to worry about."

Today was going to be a good day.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Soo….Iruka is the swimming coach. I thought it made sense… with the whole Iruka means dolphin thing. So yes, I know the swimming tryouts seemed really weird and everything, but for certain scenes to happen, I needed it to be this way.**

**Sakura may seem a bit…bratty or annoying in the story…but I want her to be like that, where she'll slowly learn to grow and be herself, and also things like growing out of Ino's shadow and stuff. And for those who aren't bothered by Sakura's personality…well, good for you! xD **

**Remember to give suggestions about team names! **

**Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all for the suggestions! Do I believe there was a bit of confusion (which was completely my fault.) When I said a team name, I meant a name for all their sports team (basketball, swimming, track, etc.) Not just swimming. It was a complete mistake on my part.**

**No worries though, there's will some time before the team name is actually put into play. Do not be afraid to make suggestions! **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"It's here!"

"Er…what's here?"

Yamanaka Ino ignored the seven pairs of eyes (minus Sasuke) that stared at her like she was crazy. She bent down and those at the lunch table gathered around her (again minus Sasuke,) awaiting the news. It was not everyday Yamanaka Ino came to their table in the middle of lunch. It must have been something big.

"I've just received news from the student council…" she paused for dramatic affect. "That the Back-to-School dance will be next week!"

There was silence, and then everyone groaned.

"You came just to tell us that?" Kiba gave a mocking laugh. "It's around this time every year. There's nothing special about that."

"Well, that's not it!" Ino gave him a wink. "Guess who's head of the dance committee this year?"

"Well, that's obvious. It's that Ami girl." Naruto scrunched up his face. "She's the only one who has enough skill to—"

A bonk.

"You idiot!" Ino had hit him on the head. "_I'm _in charge this year! And what do you mean she's the _only _one who has enough skill! Are you saying I don't have skill!"

Sakura tried desperately to pacify her raging friend. Now that she though about it, Sasuke had stayed after school yesterday for a student council meeting of some sort. He didn't tell her that the dance was coming up when he had gotten home, though… when did he ever tell her anything?

"Dances are troublesome," Shikamaru slumped down further into his seat.

This attracted Ino's attention, as she turned to the poor boy. "Well, it's normal for you to dislike dances since you never have a date. It'll be fun if you bring someone with you." She snuck a meaningful glance towards Sasuke, who completely ignored her.

Kiba scoffed. "Dances can also be social gatherings for friends. Who says you have to have a date?"

Ino gave him a look, before scoffing. "Whatever. I just came to inform you guys that the dance will be ten times better than the one last year, so you better buy tickets. Bye Sakura, Hinata!" She giggled. "Sasuke-kun!" She glared at the other boys before she returned to her own table.

Kiba stared after her, "I don't think she likes us very much."

"Nobody likes _you,_" Naruto stuck his tongue out at the dog-boy, and immediately, another brawl started.

Their fights were such a common occurrence now that no one bothered to break them up. They never hurt each other anyway…most of the time.

Sakura leaned back into her chair. A dance? Ino must have been exaggerating.

There was no way a simple back-to-school dance could be that big of a deal.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura never knew she could have been so wrong.

By week's end, all she saw were posters advertising the dance, and all she heard was whispers and gossip about who was going with whom. It was no surprise that the biggest gossip spreading amongst the juniors centered around the Uchiha. Was he going to the dance this year? Who was he going with? From what Sakura had overheard, he had never gone to any of the dances in the previous years before. Sometimes she wondered how he was so well-known even though he was so unsociable.

As she walked by Sasuke's locker, she just happened to notice him crumpling up a piece of pink paper.

"Sasuke!" The Uchiha turned around to find himself face to face with his house guest. "What do you think you're doing?" When he didn't respond, she continued on. "That is clearly a love letter, isn't it? Whoever wrote it to you probably put all of her heart and soul into that tiny piece of paper! Don't you think it's too cruel to just crumple it up without even reading it first?"

Sasuke stared at her disinterestedly. "They are nothing but unintelligible thoughts scribbled down onto a piece of paper by a person who I do not wish to associate myself with."

Sakura opened her mouth to retort, but an object came flying towards her face. Her reflexes kicked in, and she caught it, realizing it was the crumpled piece of paper.

"You can do what you want with it," he was already walking away from her.

She stared after him, before slowly reopening the paper. That boy never considered a girl's feelings—

'I LOVE SASUKE-KUN! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! LET'S GO TO THE DANCE TOGETHER! I LOVE YOU SASUKE-KUN!'

She stared, before slowly re-closing the scrap.

…What had Sasuke been telling her about 'unintelligible thoughts' and 'scribbles'?

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_The Next Day…_

"May I sit here for today?"

A sullen looking Lee was standing in front of them, his mouth set in a frown and the usual shine in his eyes hardly visible.

"What's wrong with you, fuzzy eyebrows?" Naruto asked, earning him a well-deserved hit on the head from the pink-haired girl besides him. How dare he be so inconsiderate and straightforward!

Lee did not seem to mind the bluntness. "Tenten and Neji are in a disagreement."

"A disagreement?" Naruto echoed the boy.

Lee sighed, an action so uncharacteristic of him that the entire table immediately knew that this disagreement was indeed a big one. "The school dance is quickly approaching, and Tenten was talking about asking out the new senior Sagi-san. Neji commented on how he did not feel too fond of Sagi-san's lack of emotion, and this resulted in an argument between the two of them. I personally do not find anything wrong with Sagi-san, but I trust Neji's judgment. Tenten is very unhappy with him at the moment. I have tried everything in my power to retie their bond, but I have been unable to succeed." He sighed again. "What would Gai-sensei say?"

Sakura nudged Naruto. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Naruto blinked. "…that the cafeteria should serve better ramen?"

Sakura had to resist the urge to slap the idiot. "No! We should get them back to being friends!"

The table remained silent.

"S-Sakura?" Hinata leaned in to the girl. "I-I don't think Neji would like that idea."

"Actually," Kiba grinned. "It sounds pretty fun. It'd be fun to piss off Neji once in awhile."

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed.

"Even the smallest bug will be found if it does not conceal itself properly."

All eyes turned to the taciturn boy sitting away from everyone else. He was met with blank stares.

Shikamaru sighed. "What Shino is saying you need a plan. Feh, how troublesome."

"If Shikamaru is in, then so am I," Chouji had finished his bag of chips and was reaching for another.

Sakura smiled. "Excellent!"

"We could—"

"That sounds like a good idea—"

"How about—"

"Yeah, we could do that—"

There was a sudden bang, and everyone stopped their talking. Sasuke had stood up. "You're all idiots," he snapped before stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking away.

They stared after him, unsure of how to respond.

Finally, Naruto broke the silence. "…What's his problem?"

They could only shrug.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura plopped down onto the couch next to him. It was currently three o' clock. "We came up with the perfect plan during lunch!"

Sasuke turned away from her, irritated once again. Couldn't he even have a moment of peaceful silence?

"Well, Neji and Tenten are both captains of the basketball team, right?" Sakura didn't seem to notice his piqued mood. "So Lee told us that there was also a basketball court in the park where he runs. We could drag them there and they could play a game and let out their anger. They'll be able to make up after realizing how much fun they have together."

Sasuke scoffed. "It won't work."

"Why not?" Sakura couldn't see a flaw in the plan that she and her friends had constructed during lunch.

He got up to leave. "It wont."

Sakura stood up as well. "Well, just wait and see!"

"It won't work."

"By the end of the day, they'll be friends! I _will _succeed!""

"…No, you won't."

"My god, Sasuke, why are you so stubborn!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You want to tell me again why I'm coming?"

"It's like I told you!" Sakura pushed the confused senior girl a few more steps towards the basketball court. "Hinata and I wanted to learn some basketball moves and who better to teach us than the captain of the girl's team?"

"You guys sure chose a weird time to drag me here—what is he doing here!"

Sakura cringed inwardly. Naruto, that idiot! He was supposed to bring Neji in the middle of the game. He was thirty minutes early. She sighed. _I'll just have to play along._

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto waved, and Sakura could practically sense the suspicious glare coming from Tenten even though she wasn't facing the girl.

"What a coincidence," Sakura laughed, hoping she didn't sound too nervous. "Neji, Naruto, and Lee are here too!"

"Yes…" Tenten narrowed her eyes at the Hyuuga senior. "What a coincidence…"

"You guys have no skill," Neji threw the basketball at the fox-boy. "I'm going home."

"Wait a second!" Lee quickly stepped in. "Wouldn't it be fun if Neji and Tenten were to play a game? It will be interesting to watch them unleash the power of their youth!"

"T-that would be a good idea."

"Yeah, let's do that!"

Tenten crossed her arms. "I'm not playing with him."

Neji let out a half-sneer, half-smirk. "You would clearly lose against me."

"Are you saying I'm worse than you?"

"No. It is almost predetermined that a girl would automatically lose to a guy."

"I don't think gender matters in this. I have as much a chance as winning as you do!"

"You always were the type to open your mouth before thinking about what you were going to say."

"What did you say, Neji!"

Sakura glanced between the two. This was defiantly not going as she had planned. Instead of settling their disagreement, they only seemed to be worsening their relationship.

"Sakura, Hinata," Tenten was storming away. "We're leaving."

"W-Wait Tenten!" Sakura and Hinata quickly ran after her.

Plan: Failed.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**If anybody didn't know who Sagi-san is, he was a boy in one the anime fillers that Tenten thought was cute (even if he later turned out to be a girl.) **

**The reason Sasuke knew the plan wouldn't work was because like I mentioned earlier, he and Neji are so similar. He knows how the Hyuuga's mind works. And he also knew that whatever plan they had come up with was pretty pathetic. **

**Um…I'm exaggerating the whole dance ordeal…but that's just the way I want it. So…yeah.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, September 22nd**

**More Pre-Dance Trouble! **

**Please Review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Gah...School is so freaking hectic! I've already had 8 quizzes (two being pop,) 2 tests, and one upcoming test! And damnit, I'm only in the 8th grade! (high school better not be this hectic.) **

**And yet somehow...I've managed to update two days early. xD**

**Thank you for all the awesome reviews! (I read everyone of them, I swear, but I don't have to time to reply.) **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sakura, Hinata…" Tenten trailed ahead of the two. "You do know your plan was pathetically obvious."

Sakura gave out a weak laugh. "I didn't think it would turn out this way."

"W-we really wish for you two to be friends again," Hinata told her.

"You know…" Tenten stopped walking, and Sakura realized that her tone was sad…and wistful? "You guys didn't have to do that." She turned to them. "Neji and I will make up soon."

"W-what?" Sakura didn't know what she was talking about. "But Lee-san told us that—"

Tenten sighed. "Lee often exaggerates the situation. Neji and I are in…a minor disagreement. We've known each other too long to actually hold grudges."

"S-so none of this was needed?"

"Everything's going to be fine. Sagi-kun isn't even going to the dance," Tenten gave them a wink. "Besides, what are you guys doing worrying about me? Shouldn't you be worrying about yourselves? You should find a date for the dance, you know. It is tomorrow."

Hinata immediately turned red. This did not go unnoticed by Tenten and Sakura. They grinned deviously at each other.

"I think we've got some planning to do."

"Naruto won't know what hit him.

"S-Sakura-san! Tenten-san! W-what are you guys talking about?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_The Next Day…_

"I-I can't do this, Sakura!" Hinata was trembling.

"Yes you can!" Sakura pushed the girl's hand forward. "Just put it through!"

"W-what if he doesn't read it?" Hinata clutched the letter tightly in her hands.

"I promise you he's going to read it," Sakura urged her on. "I'll make sure of it."

With a large gulp, Hinata quickly pushed the paper into the slits on top of the locker.

"See? That wasn't so hard was it?" Sakura gave her a pat on the back.

Hinata forced out a shaky smile.

_Naruto-kun…_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Mission accomplished," Sakura gave Tenten a high five.

"She's liked him for so many years," Tenten gave out a sigh. "But I've never seen her make a move."

"Well, all she needed was a little encouragement, ne?"

Tenten nodded her head in agreement, before a mischievous smile adorned her face. "Now that Hinata's done, what about you? I'm sure you've got someone you want to go with."

An image of a certain raven-haired Uchiha flashed in her mind. Sakura widened her eyes. _Where had that come from? _

"I-I don't think so," Sakura mumbled.

"Really?" Tenten leaned in closer. "Then why are you blushing?"

Sakura had no answer to that. So instead, she did what any other girl would have done. "I—I have to go!"

She ran.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Hey, are you busy?"

Uchiha Sasuke turned around to find himself face to face with…what was her name again? Oh yes…Tenten.

If he remembered correctly, she hung out with Lee and Neji. "What do you want," he grumbled. It was a rare occurrence for her to approach him without one of her companions.

"Well," Tenten rocked back on the balls of her feet, as though unsure of what she was about to say. "Sakura called for you. She said she needed to ask you something."

"…"

"And you really should go find her right away! It's urgent!"

"Hn."

Tenten watched the junior walk away. She bit her lip.

_I hope I chose the right one. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Hey Naruto, aren't you going to open your locker?"

The blonde gave her a weird glance. "Why would I?'

Sakura let out a shrug. "Oh, I don't know. Isn't the Back-To-School Dance tonight? I mean, what if someone put a note in there? Wouldn't you want to give them a reply right away?"

"No one ever asks me…"

"Well, you never know, it might be your lucky day." Sakura gave him a wink. "I'll see you around, Naruto."

She quickly walked off and rounded the corner, secretly spying on what the boy would do.

He stood not moving for awhile, before shrugging to himself and opening his locker. She watched with a huge smile as he picked up the white piece of paper with his hands, his eyes widened in shock.

There was a great cry of joy after a few moments of stunned silence, and he quickly ran off.

Sakura congratulated herself. _He's probably going off to find Hinata. _

A sudden hand appeared on her shoulder.

Sakura jumped, her heart nearly bursting out of her chest.

"Sakura?"

"Ino!" Sakura leaned against the wall. "You scared me!"

"Oh, sorry." Ino laughed.

"Did you need anything?"

"The dance is tonight!"

A sigh. "I know, Ino. It's the tenth time you told me today."

Ino fidgeted with her fingers, a very Hinata-like move. "I gave Sasuke-kun a note," she mumbled. "But he hasn't replied yet."

Sakura could almost feel pity for her friend. She didn't have the heart to tell her that the Uchiha probably just crumbled it up and threw it into the trash like all the other notes he received. "Ino…he…"

"I need to talk to you."

The two girls whirled around to find none other than Uchiha Sasuke standing there, arms crossed over his chest in an impatient manner.

Ino's sullen mood immediately lighted up. "Me, Sasuke-kun?"

He glared at her. "No."

"I-I'll see you later, Ino," Sakura gave her friend the best smile she could muster. Ino returned it with a weak one of her own.

"Yeah, bye…"

"What did you need, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura turned towards him.

"What did you want?"

"What?"

"I asked you what you wanted."

"Want for what…?"

"What do you want from me…"

_What I want from him? I don't understand. _"Sasuke-kun, what are you talking about—"

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Hinata couldn't concentrate at all. Her mind kept wandering back to a certain blonde.

_I wonder if he's read the note already. How will he react? _

She squeezed her eyes shut.

_Will he return my feelings….WAIT! _

She let out a gasp.

_I forgot to write my name! _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Of course I'll go with you!" Naruto pulled her into a hug.

"W-What?" Sakura tried to discreetly pull out of grasp.

"I was beginning to worry you would never ask!" Naruto finally let her go. "I'll pick you up tonight! Just tell me where you live!"

Sakura was still in a state of confusion. She automatically glanced at the Uchiha to see his reaction, but the problem was, there was none. She didn't know why she felt her heart sink when she saw his face.

"I got your letter!" Naruto was flapping a piece of paper in her face.

_A letter…? _

"It was so beautiful!" She was pulled into another hug.

Sakura's jaw dropped. _Hinata's letter! _

And if things weren't already bad enough, a frantic white-eyed girl came rushing around the corner, right into the sight of Naruto embracing another.

…

_Oh shit._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Aww... Poor Hinata...**

** I love Tenten in my story...not exactly sure why. Her character is very interesting. xD**

**Next Update: Sunday, September 24th**

**How will Sakura resolve everything, and how is Sasuke part of her big plan?**

** Please Review!  
**

**  
**


	11. Chapter 11

"Hinata, I'm telling you, he made a mistake!" Sakura was pleading with the girl.

"N-Naruto-kun doesn't like me," Hinata was in despair. "He l-likes Sakura-san."

An hour earlier, when Hinata had caught sight of the scene before her, she had immediately bolted. Sakura quickly untangled herself from Naruto and ran after the girl, leaving the two boys behind to wonder what the heck was going on.

"I promise you it was all a big screw-up," Sakura grabbed a piece of paper and quickly scribbled something down. "Come here after school. We'll clear this mess up by the time the dance starts, alright? I've got to go to class. Be sure to come!"

Hinata looked down at the piece of paper.

…_an address? _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sasuke, could you get that?" his mother's voice drifted in from the kitchen.

Sasuke got up from the couch and unlocked the front door. It was probably just one of his father's business partners or one of his mother's…

"Hyuuga Hinata?" he stared down at the nervous looking junior.

She let out an uneasy laugh. "I—um—I think Sakura gave me the w-wrong address. Could you p-possibly know where she lives?"

_Sakura…_Sasuke rolled his eyes. Of course, all his problems eventually led back to her.

"Hinata, you came!"

Sasuke found himself being pushed aside and a flash of pink darted past him. He glowered at her, but she didn't pay any attention to it.

"S-Sakura?" Hinata timidly looked between him and the pink-haired girl. "W-Why…?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Sakura dragged the girl in. "I live here!"

"Y-you do?"

Sakura blinked. "Is there something weird about that?"

"N-no!" The Hyuuga quickly heated up. "Y-you…" she snuck a glance at the Uchiha. "I just did not expect it."

"Well, anyway, come with me! We have work to do! Oh, and I'll need your help too Sasuke!"

Sasuke blanched inwardly. "No."

There was no way in hell he was about to caught up in this mess…

"Sasuke, go help the girls! Where are you manners?"

Sasuke resisted to send his mother a glare. He loved her and everything, but sometimes she seemed to purposely try and make his life as miserable as possible. And when had she started to listen to this conversation?

"It's really not much Sasuke," the emerald eyed girl stared up at him pleadingly. "I just need you to make a phone call."

"A phone call…" he trailed off.

An object was tossed at him. "Call Naruto for me will ya? Tell him to come here at six thirty. Come on, Hinata. Let's go upstairs to my room."

Sasuke sighed. _Mind as well get it over with._

One ring…

Two rings…

Three rings…

"Hello?"

"Be here at six thirty, dobe."

"Sasuke?"

_click. _

Sasuke put the phone back. He had done his part.

Whether the dobe showed up or not was not his problem.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The doorbell rang at six thirty-five.

_So the dobe actually showed up. _

Sasuke moved to open the door. His hand was on the knob when a sudden arm shot out and a hand gripped his shoulder in a surprisingly brutal grip.

Slightly stunned, the Uchiha was pulled back around a corner.

"What the—"

"Be quiet!" a voice hissed at him. He looked down to see a head of pink. _What is she thinking…_

"Sasuke…" an irritated Naruto was heard. "Why'd you tell me to come? I'm going to be late picking up Sakura-chan…"

"N-Naruto-kun."

Hinata, what are you doing here?"

"I—I'm" there was a nervous pause. "…I'm Sasuke-kun's date."

All color drained out of the Uchiha's face. _W-What! _ He was ready to storm out there and demand an explanation, but a hand quickly covered his mouth.

"I know you're mad," Sakura was whispering. "But don't ruin it for them."

_Don't ruin it for them! _Sasuke was fuming, and resisted the urge to bit down hard on the hand over his mouth. What did _'he'_ have to do with _'them!' _

"B-but Sasuke-kun was sick w-when I got here," Hinata continued, her voice surprisingly convincing. Sasuke wondered how long she had spent practicing that line with Sakura. "S-so he can't go tonight."

"And this is where I come in," Sakura whipped out an object, which Sasuke realized was her phone.

There was a jingle heard, and then Naruto's voice, "Hold on, Hinata, someone's calling."

"Naruto?" Sakura whispered into her phone, her voice all of a suddenly hoarse and croaky.

"Sakura-chan? Are you alright!" Naruto's distressed voice was heard.

"I-I'm afraid I've caught a cold." Sakura coughed for extra effect. "I can't make it tonight. I'm sorry."

"You too? Why is everyone getting sick tonight?"

"You can go with someone else. I won't mind. I'll see you on Monday."

"…I can come visit you if you want—"

_Click. _

Sakura shut her phone.

"I-is something wrong, Naruto-kun?"

"Sakura-chan said she can't come tonight."

"…w-what do we do now?"

Sasuke could practically picture the light bulb flashing on atop Naruto's head.

"Hey, why don't you go with me? I'm sure Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan won't mind!"

"A-are you sure?"

"Come on, we'll be late for the dance!"

Some shuffling was heard and the door was closed.

Sasuke and Sakura emerged from their hiding spot.

_Only someone as dense as Naruto would actually fall for that trick. _Sasuke pitied the clueless boy.

Besides him, Sakura sighed. "Well, I guess that means I can't go to the dance tonight. Ino is so going to kill me when she sees me."

"Hn." He turned around to leave.

"W-Wait, Sasuke!"

"What now…"

"I…uh…do you want to…" Sakura was looking at her feet now. "…watch a movie with me?"

_No. _"…"

"You don't have to!" Sakura blurted out, trying to maintain her composure. "I mean, it's just everyone else is having fun so why shouldn't we, you know? It's always nice to loosen up once in awhile, right?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to give her his answer, but then he caught sight of his mother. She was standing behind Sakura, and she was nodding her head viciously up and down.

_Is she telling me to say yes? _Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Sakura was completely oblivious to what was going on.

Sasuke was not going to change his answer. "I have work to do." Actually, he didn't, but if he outright refused her then his mother would surely skin him alive.

"Oh…" it was clear the girl was disappointed. "That's alright then."

He brushed past her. "Hn."

Sakura stared at the ground. _What had she been thinking? _She dropped her head. _I'll just watch it alone then…_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It was night when Sasuke came out of his room. His parents were probably already asleep.

He wandered downstairs, only to see that there was a source of light coming from the living room.

Who was up this late anyway?

When he entered, he saw that the light was only coming from the television, and he walked over to turn it off. When he turned back around, he saw a heap lying on the couch.

_She probably fell asleep while watching the movie. _

He softly walked over, silently studying her in the dark.

A frustrated sigh emitted from him. He bent down…

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The next morning when Sakura awoke, she could only wonder why she was in her bed, and not on the couch.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Yah…so Sasuke lifted her up to her room. **

**Um…I know everyone is going to kill me for making Sasuke and Sakura skip the dance…but this dance was actually more of a Naruhina based one. ..and it's too early for anything to actually happen even if Sasuke and Sakura did go to the dance (at least in my opinion.)**

**Next Update: Approx. Friday, September 29th**

**THE FIRST SWIM MEET OF THE YEAR! TENTEN IN TROUBLE? MORE ADVICE FROM SAKURA? **

**Please Review! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for all the reviews!**

**I have posted a one shot on my profile…and yes, it's SASUSAKU. **

**It's called SOMEONE OTHER THAN HIM and you can read it if you're bored…yeah…**

**On with the story! **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sakura, you're coming today aren't you?"

Sakura looked up from her book. "Tenten?"

"Remember it's at 4:00, alright?"

"…what's at 4:00?"

Tenten gave her a look, but when she saw the other girl was serious, she smacked a hand to her head. "The meet, Sakura!"

"…?"

"The swim meet! Don't you ever read the bulletin board up front?"

"Oh…I didn't know."

"Anyways," Tenten lowered her voice as a librarian walked by. "It doesn't matter. As long as you can come alright? It's our first match…even if it is away."

"I'm not sure…"

"Do you need a ride? I mean, I'm going with Neji and Hinata, but I'm sure he could also give you a lift."

_So they're friends again? _"I—um…" Sakura looked down. "It's okay. I'll get a ride from someone else."

The bell rang.

"I gotta go, see you at 4:00!"

"Yeah…see you."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sasuke-kun…"

Sasuke allowed the girl to enter his room. "What."

She would not make eye contact with him, and instead, opted to examine his wall. "I…um…heard about your meet today."

Sasuke already didn't like the direction this was heading.

"And I…um…" her voice turned softer. "I would like to go and I was wondering if you'd…um…"

Sasuke stared at her. Did it have to take her so long just to ask him one little thing?

"Can you give me a ride?" she muttered out the last part rather quickly, and if not for his superb hearing, he may not have caught it.

"You need a ride…"

"Well, Tenten said that Neji could take me, but I didn't want to burden him, since he hardly knows me anyway. And I wasn't able to find Naruto or Lee or Kiba. And I don't really know if anyone else is going. I tried calling Ino but there was no answer, and I don't know if she's busy or if..."

"Be ready at 3:15."

"And I…what?"

"3:15"

"Y-You're taking me?"

He gave her an annoyed glance. "You asked, didn't you?"

"I-um…" _I didn't think you would say yes. _"Thanks a lot, Sasuke-kun!"

"…Hn."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"We're going to an away game right?" Sakura stared out the window at the school before them.

Sasuke looked at her. "If we weren't, then why would I be driving to another school?"

"Well…" Sakura pointed. "I was just wondering why there are so many girls out there holding 'Go Sasuke-kun' signs."

"Hn." He scoffed, and stepped out of his car. "Hurry up."

Sakura quickly hurried to catch up. _Such a gentleman, aren't you? Didn't even bother to open the door or wait. _

"Sakura-chan!"

"Sakura-san!"

"Sakura!"

She was bombarded by greetings when she entered the pool area. A crowd was already gathered there, some from Konoha, while others from the other academy.

"Is this a tough team, Sasuke-kun?"

"I don't know."

"…?"

"They're a new team!" Naruto explained to her when the Uchiha didn't respond.

"I see."

Lee creased his brows. "…But they've excelled in every other sport they have done. It would be unwise to underestimate their ability."

"They may be good," Kiba sneered. "But they're teams are always full of snobs."

"What are you guys taking about?" Ino wrapped an arm around Sasuke, but was immediately shrugged off. "With Sasuke-kun on the team, there's no way we would lose!"

"And we've also got Neji," Tenten added in.

"Hey!" Naruto and Kiba made a sound of contempt. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"You aren't the captains!" they were immediately put down.

"Enough chatter guys," Iruka walked over. "You've got fifteen minutes to warm-up. Lee and the girls, you can stay in the team area instead of going to the stands, but please try to stay out of the way."

"Yes!" Ino hugged Sakura. "I'll get to see Sasuke-kun's wet skin up close!"

Sakura turned away. Why was it that all of Ino's fantasies she somehow had already experienced?

"You're not supposed to be here," Lee's voice interrupted her thoughts as they all turned towards him.

"P-please leave," Hinata small voice was barely heard above the roar of laughter.

"It's our school," a voice jeered. "We can go where we want."

"Hey, what's your problem?" Tenten shoved one of the boys back when he came too close.

"Ooh," the boy, who Sakura supposed was the team captain, gave her a 'seductive' wink. "Feisty."

"Why you…" Tenten clenched her fists, but Lee stopped her from charging.

"Konoha will be disqualified if we start a fight," Lee reasoned. "Let us defeat them in the main matches fair and square."

"Yeah," the boy cracked his fists. "But that would be boring wouldn't it?"

Before anything else happened, a sharp voice cut in. "What's going on over there? Get back here right now!"

The boy rolled his eyes, "Stupid coach." He bowed mockingly at Tenten. "Until we meet again, my fair lady."

The moment he was gone, Tenten pulled away from Lee. "I should have punched him, that bastard!"

"Who should you have punched…"

They all turned around to see the team members had returned.

"There was this guy and he was totally all over Tenten!" Ino quickly explained.

Everyone else turned to Tenten, who was still fuming. Sakura watched for Neji's reaction, and she smirked when she realized that his eyes had narrowed. _Interesting…_

"Let's kick their asses!" Kiba pumped his fist into the air. "Who's with me?"

Naruto grabbed his arm and dragged him down. "You're making all of us look like idiots."

Kiba sneered. "Well, you're already an idiot."

And another fight started…yet again.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The first three heats raced by, with two wins to Konoha and one win to the other school.

The fourth was coming up quick, and it was the Medley Relay.

Sakura could hardly keep herself seated. This was the big moment, the debut of Konoha's top four swimmers. She was not the only one feeling this way. The murmurings in the crowd had increased, and she could practically see the eagerness coming from everyone in the audience.

The captain of the other team, who Sakura had learned was named Kojo, was swimming the butterfly, just like Neji. It seemed to be the perfect match-up.

Kiba took position next to his opponent.

"If we lose, it's going to be all your fault!" Naruto jeered from behind.

"Shut up!" Kiba snapped back.

"Naruto, shut your mouth. Kiba, pay attention. " Neji glared at both boys, and grudgingly they listened to his demands.

A bang was heard, and Kiba pushed off, his arms immediately springing into action. His opponent, a junior also, was persistent, and as the came back, they were head to head.

Sakura resisted covering her ears to block out the screaming—ahem, cheering—that Ino was doing. Her best friend sure was enthusiastic.

The moment his fingertips touched the wall, Naruto jumped in. His opponent had a slower reaction time, and was a half a second late. That was all it took for Naruto to gain the lead. It was not much, but he was able to touch the wall first when they returned.

Neji plummeted in the water in lightening speed, but the other team's captain was hot on his tails.

And then…something went wrong. Sakura and the others watched in amazement as at one moment Kojo was behind ,and then they were even, and then…he had gained the lead!

_He's fast! _Sakura stared in shock. Of course, Kojo was the captain of the other team, but she had never expected for Neji to lose…in anything!

She glanced at Sasuke, and even he seemed to be a bit disturbed. Kojo reached the wall first, and Neji slammed his hand onto the tile a second later. Sasuke immediately jumped into the water.

Even though his opponent was ahead, the Uchiha quickly caught up. His opponent was good…but Sasuke was better.

_He's even faster than the time he faced Take. _Sakura was beginning to suspect that he hadn't shown his full speed in that tryout match…and even now, there was a high possibility that he was holding back. Sasuke never showed his full ability unless it was a tough opponent. She could have almost laughed. _It's totally like him to look down on everyone. _

Boos filled her ears, and she realized that they were coming from the home audience. She stood up and looked over to the pool, where the team members were huddled around Sasuke, who was ignoring all the pats on the back and acting as cool and indifferent as always.

They had won!

"Neji, what's wrong? We won!" Sakura watched as Tenten made her way over to the Hyuuga.

He shrugged her off. "I lost." His entire face was twisted in anger.

"…" Tenten was unable to reply.

"It is alright, Neji," Lee said. "As long as you keep on training, you will improve." He looked over at the other team. "This will not be the last time we see them. You will get another chance."

Sakura felt that it was time she had a little talk with a certain Hyuuga.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"H-Hyuuga Neji?"

Neji glanced up to see a girl staring down at him. He narrowed his eyes. "You're that new junior…"

"Sakura," she corrected him.

"What do you want…" he asked as she took a seat next to him.

"You know," she placed her hands on her knees and leaned forward. "It doesn't matter if you win or lose."

He glanced at her silently. What was she talking about?

"What I'm trying to say is," Sakura took a deep breath. "Winning isn't the only way to impress her. As long as you care."

"What are you…" Neji narrowed his eyes even more.

"You like winning," she continued. "But this win would have been so much better right? Because you would have succeeded in protecting her. Because it would be a win for her."

"Who…"

"You know who I'm talking about," Sakura gave him a small smile. "All I'm saying is show her you care before it's too late."

She got up, and left the Hyuuga to think over what she said.

"Sasuke-kun!" she greeted him as she opened the car door. "Sorry for the wait."

"You were talking to Hyuuga," he stated plainly. "What were you saying?"

Sakura put a finger to her mouth. "It's a secret, Sasuke-kun!"

"Hn." He turned towards the wheel. "Whatever."

"Sasuke-kun, you're no fun! You're supposed to get on your knees and beg me to tell you!"

"As if."

"You have no sense of humor!"

"You're annoying."

"I…hmph!"

Sakura turned away from him indignantly, but she couldn't help but let a smile grace her lips.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Now I know there will be many people telling me it is _impossible _for Neji to lose and such. I mean, he is a genius and everything. But Naruto (the dropout) beat Neji once, and there _are _people stronger than Neji out there. No one's perfect. Yeah…just wanted to clarify that.**

**Not much in this chapter…I guess you could call it a filler…and an intro to their rival swim team. Will these OC's be making an appearance regularly? No. You'll probably only see them for one more chapter (that won't be until later on.) **

**Hmm…had more to say…but I forgot. Oh yeah, Please check out 'SOMEONE OTHER THAN HIM'**

**Next Update: Wednesday, October 4th**

**SASUKE HAS A MISSION…FIND HARUNO SAKURA A JOB! ... If only it wasn't easier said than done. **

**Please Review! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for the reviews! **

**Um…I find myself a bit pressed on time to type up new chapters…so I might slow my updating pace. We'll see how it turns out. ..**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Uchiha-sama, do you know where the newspapers are?"

All sounds of eating halted, and four pairs of eyes turned towards the direction of their house guest.

"The newspapers?" Fugaku questioned. "Why would there be a need for that?"

Sakura played with her napkin, "I—I just wanted to see if there were any job ads."

"Job ads?" This time, it was Mikoto who spoke up. "There is no need for a job!"

"Yes, well," Sakura bit her lip. "I don't want to be a burden and constantly rely on you for money. I had a job back home, and I was able to handle work and school pretty well."

"You are our guest," Mikoto clearly was not to keen on this idea. "It is our _job _to care for your well-being."

"Now, hold on. If Haruno-san feels responsible enough to handle a job," Sasuke's father gave her a approving look, "I don't see why we should prevent her from doing what she wishes."

Mikoto sighed. "Very well, then it's decided…Sasuke!"

The Uchiha boy look up from his food. "What…"

"You can go with Sakura to her job interviews tomorrow morning."

…_WHAT!_

"Why should I…"

"Because your mother has told you to," his father replied. "Now you do what you're told. And make sure that when you come back, Haruno-san had gained a job."

Sasuke resumed eating. Why did it have to be him of all—

"Have fun little brother."

—_Damn you Itachi! _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"What is this?"

Sakura turned towards the disgusted voice of the youngest Uchiha, and stared at him questioningly. "Is there something wrong, Sasuke-kun?"

"What is this," he repeated. In his hands, were a neat stack of papers.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "…the list of possible jobs?"

Sasuke pointed to a line. "Model work…"

"Oh that?" Sakura took the papers out of his hands. "Well, all I had was a boring counter job back at home. So now that I'm in a big city, I thought it be fun to try something new."

"My parents won't like this…"

"Oh don't worry, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gave him a smile. "I'm not going to accept anything too preposterous. I'm just going to see what the job has to offer today."

"…"

"We really should get going, you know. I don't want to be late for my first interview."

"…Hn."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Oh my!" a shrill voice exclaimed. "I had no idea that when my secretary told me that there was an interview that it would be an Uchiha! What an honor! What an honor!"

"Um…I'm the one here for the interview."

The gaze of the interviewer shifted from the face of the indifferent Uchiha to the nervously smiling girl besides him. Her smile dropped. "Oh. How disappointing. For a moment there, I thought I would be able to work with someone as _fabulous_ as Uchiha Sasuke."

_**DISSAPOINTING! I'll SHOW YOU DISSAPOINTMENT WHEN I PUMMEL DOWN THAT FACE OF YOURS! **_

"Heh heh," Sakura pushed her inner thoughts away. "I'm sorry if I'm not up to your expectations."

The woman turned away with a wave of her hand. "It doesn't matter. Let's just get this interview over with, and I will decide if you are worthy enough to work for our company."

A restrained reply. "Yes, ma'am."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Half an hour later…_

"I can't believe that woman!" Sakura threw her hands up in the air. "Did you see her? She hardly paid attention to me at all!

Sasuke trailed behind the ranting girl. "Hn."

"She probably thought I couldn't see those beady little eyes of her wandering towards you. I'm sorry, but _I'm _the one here for the job, not Mr. I'm-Too-Gorgeous-To-Be-Human over there!" So consumed by her rage, Sakura failed to notice what she had just called Sasuke.

Sasuke shook his head in exasperation. He had hoped to get this job searching thing done quickly, but by the looks of it, this was probably going to take the whole day.

"Waaait! Uchiha Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura screeched to a halt, and spoke through gritted teeth, "It seems she wants to talk to you Sasuke-kun. I'll be waiting in the car."

"Uchiha Sasuke-kun!" The lady caught up to him, and ignored the scowl on his face. "I know this is sudden, but perhaps you would like to come in for an interview sometime later?" Her eyes drifted over his torso. "We could _definitely _use someone like you."

_I don't have time for this. _"Did she make it?"

"…who, Uchiha-sama?"

"The pink-haired girl."

"Oh," the woman paused, and looked around, before leaning in. "I just don't think she has the right…look for our company."

"Hn." He turned to walk away. _You weren't even looking at her. _

"Wait, when should I set up the interview?"

"Don't bother."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When he reached the car, Sakura already sat on the passenger's side, and she seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"You were eavesdropping," the Uchiha stated matter-of-factly.

The girl immediately flushed. "N-no I wasn't!" she stammered out.

He gave her a look which immediately told her not to deny it, and she sunk down her seat in embarrassment.

"Where are we going…"

"It's only a few minutes from here."

A few moments of silence passed between them.

He abruptly spoke up. "Try to smile when you answer their questions."

Sakura glanced sharply at him. Was _Uchiha Sasuke _actually giving her tips?

When he saw the look he received, he returned it with a glare of his own, and muttered, "The sooner you get a job, the sooner I go home."

"Oh…"

"And don't get angry so easily."

"You worry too much!" Sakura beamed at him. "I'm a patient person, Sasuke-kun! I won't lose my temper."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Three hours later…_

"THEY CAN ALL GO JUMP IN A LAKE AND DROWN AND ALL THE FISHES CAN EAT UP THEIR FLESH AND THEY CAN ROT FOREVER UNDER THE WATER FOR ALL I CARE!"

"…can you keep it down."

"IT'S RIDICULOUS! WE'VE BEEN TO FIVE DIFFERENT PLACES AND ALL THEY DO IS STARE AT YOU! _YOU! _WHY NOT _ME_! I MEAN, I'M NOT BEAUTIFUL BUT AM I THAT DISGUSTING TO LOOK AT? DO THEY NOT KNOW THAT THE PERSON THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE INTERVIEWING IS _ME_? NOT _UCHIHA SASUKE-KUN_!"

_I thought she said she wasn't going to lose her temper. _"Where are the next place…"

The girl responded by throwing her papers onto the car floor. "It's useless," she mumbled. "Once they see you, the completely forget about me."

Sasuke gripped the steering wheel harder. If the girl returned home jobless today, then tomorrow, he would surely be sent to go with her to go search for more jobs. There was no way in hell he was wasting another day of his life. She was getting a job _today. _"I'll wait in the car."

Sakura looked up from her despair. "What?"

"If they don't see me," Sasuke stopped the car. "Then it won't be a problem. Now hurry up and go in so I can go home."

"O-Okay…" Sakura was already pushing open the door. "I'll be right out!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke felt himself waiting for five minutes, then ten, and then fifteen, and finally the minutes stretched into an hour.

Where was she?

He contemplated on going in and seeing what the heck was going on, but he didn't want to ruin her chance of acquiring the job.

He hardly paid much attention to his looks. Heck, he never paid any attention at all. But there just always seemed to be annoying idiots flocking around him claiming that he was 'handsome' or 'hot' or 'gorgeous' or some other disgusting adjective like that. Sometimes he wished he was hideous. That way, no one would bother him.

The car door opened, and Sasuke looked up to see that pink-haired girl getting into the car. By the smile on her face, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out how her interview had gone.

"I think I got the job," she said excitedly. "They want me to come in after school on Monday to see if I'm compatible with another one of their models."

Sasuke chose to listen, and not reply. _Their? So there are two…_

"They were really nice," she continued. "Though I must say they seemed to be a bit odd. They kept asking me questions such as 'Which type of art do you prefer? The long-lasting or one that dazzles and then departs?' I wasn't quite sure how to answer that one…"

"…"

"Oh, and one more thing," she leaned back into her seat. "They weren't females, you know. They were…"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"She was interesting, un?"

"I suppose…"

"We'll have to see if she's able to work well with the other model, won't we?"

"…Do you think she'll do?"

The slightest of smirks. "…She'll last…yeah."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**I would think _this one _was obvious to figure out who the two people at the end were…well…it should be easy to guess…**

**Um…just for the fun of it…can anyone guess which model she'll be working with? Hmm…it's a male. It would be close to a miracle if anyone manages to guess correct on this one. xD**

**Next Update: Monday, October 9th**

**Sakura meets her co-worker. Will they get along? **

**Please Review! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Alright, to clear up some confusion, here are the characters who know that Sakura lives with Sasuke at the moment: Sakura, the Uchihas, Ino, Lee, and Naruto. Only these people know where she lives. **

**THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"She's late."

"I can see that…un."

"I'm sorry!" Almost if on cue, the door ripped open and a frantic looking Haruno Sakura burst into the room. "Please forgive me Deidara-sama! Sasori-sama!"

The two men before her turned to stare, and Sasori let out an exasperated sigh while Deidara observed her with an amused smirk. Sakura looked down at her feet.

"Well," the blonde man gave her a smile. "You're here now, so everything's all right, un."

"Just don't do it again." The redhead besides the blonde told her.

"Y-yes!" Sakura bowed. "Thank you."

"Is she the other model?"

Sakura whirled around and stared up at the boy before her. For some odd reason, the first thing that flew to her mind was _STAY AWAY. _

Nevertheless, she tentatively offered a smile, and reached out her hand. "H-hi…"

The gesture was not returned. Embarrassed, Sakura quickly withdrew her arm while the boy observed her emotionlessly.

"Sakura, meet Gaara," Deidara stepped between them. "Gaara, meet Sakura. You'll get along fabulously…un."

"We're wasting time," Sasori was already adjusting a camera, his features one of immense concentration laced with impatience. "Get the clothes on and hurry back out."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Deidara?"

"What is it…un?"

Sakura looked down, "I was just wondering why someone as…quiet…as Gaara would be interested in working in modeling." It was an hour later, and Gaara had immediately left. Sakura had stayed after to help clear up some equipment.

"Hmph," Sasori answered before Deidara opened his mouth. "It's not like he has a choice."

"A choice?"

"Don't listen to Sasori…un," Deidara glared at his partner. "It's nothing…"

Sakura was curious, but she felt that she shouldn't push her authority on the first day of the job. "O-okay."

"You can leave now," Sasori opened the door for her. "Come tomorrow at the same time. Don't be late."

As Sakura descended down the steps towards the parking lot, vague sounds of soft bickering could be heard in the room behind her.

_What was all that about…? _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"WAAH!"

"Naruto…you're killing my ear." The moment Sakura stepped inside homeroom, she was tackled by a blonde blur.

"Sakura-chan!" The blonde cried out in distress. "Is it true?"

Sakura pushed the boy back. "What's true?"

"You're a model now!"

"Yeah, I am," she told the boy. "Didn't Sasuke-kun tell you…?"

"Sasuke knew about this before I did?" Naruto immediately charged over to the Uchiha. "Why didn't you tell me, teme!"

"It doesn't concern you, dobe."

"Guys, why are you always fighting?" Sakura made her way over to them, and turned to look at Naruto. "Is there anything wrong with my job?"

"Uh…not really," Naruto brightened up. "Well, when will I see Sakura-chan on posters and buses and stuff?"

"Not for awhile," Sakura laughed. "I mean, Gaara and I just went to the job yesterday—"

"Wait!" Naruto cut her off, his eyes widening. "Did you just say…Gaara?"

Sakura blinked. "Do you know him?"

"Gaara?" Naruto shared a glance with Sasuke. "Gaara…modeling? That's not possible!"

"Well," Sakura looked between the two boys. "What's so special about Gaara?"

"He goes to Sunagakure Academy in the next town," Naruto explained. "He's the principal's son. And…" the boy paused. "He beat Sasuke in basketball…"

"Really?" Sakura turned to look at Sasuke. Now _this _was interesting news.

"It was two years ago…" The Uchiha muttered darkly, obviously unhappy with the current subject of discussion.

"Sasuke never got a chance to get revenge," Naruto continued on, as though the raven-haired prodigy wasn't sitting right next to him at the moment. "Gaara abruptly quit his school's basketball team after freshman year. We've hardly heard about him since."

"Well…" Sakura said. "He seemed fine to me yesterday when I saw him. Though there were _really _dark circles around his eyes, and he was eerily silent."

Naruto shrugged. "The circles have been there for a long time. No one knows why, and no one dares to ask. Lots of people are afraid of him."

"Do you know anything else?" Sakura wanted to know as much about her new colleague as possible.

"Ask Shikamaru," Naruto suggested. "I think he's friends with Temari."

"Temari…?"

"Gaara's sister."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"This is unbelievable!" Sakura exclaimed on the way back home. "According to Shikamaru, Gaara won the district basketball championship when he was in middle school, even though the competition was supposed to be for high school kids! And he's extremely skilled in all sorts of martial arts and fighting!"

"Does it look like I care…" the boy besides her was still in a bad mood.

"But, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura remarked. "Isn't it amazing?"

"No."

"Now the only question is…" Sakura put a fist to her chin in a thinking manner. "…why'd he quit the team if he was so good?"

"Just because your good at something doesn't mean you enjoy it," Sasuke told her.

"Are you saying Gaara doesn't like basketball?" Sakura asked. "How do you know?"

"Hn." The Uchiha chose to say no more. "It doesn't matter. Besides, he isn't that good…"

"But you lost to him, right?" Sakura realized a second too late what she had just said.

The full force of the Uchiha glare was turned on her. "It was two years ago."

**_GEEZ, TALK ABOUT SENSITIVE. _**Inner Sakura scoffed. **_ATTITUDE PROBLEMS. _**

They had reached the door.

On sudden impulse, a wave of mischief washed over her.

"You shouldn't be jealous, Sasuke-kun," she said slyly, and suddenly, stood on her toes to peck him on the cheek.

The action was so unexpected that the Uchiha had no time to block the attack.

"I'll see you later, Sasuke-kun!" the girl giggled, before flinging open the door and fleeing into the house.

Sasuke stood on the doorstep, his eyes narrowed.

He glowered, "Who said I was jealous."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Wait, Gaara!"

The redhead paused in his steps to watch the girl run down the stairs to catch up with him.

It was the end of the second day of work.

"…go away," he told her.

She ignored his remark, and stretched out her hand, a cheery smile on her face. "I know this is sudden, but we didn't really get introduced yesterday. So…hi! I'm Haruno Sakura."

He stared at her hand, before turning around and continuing to walk on. "I told you to leave."

"Now wait a minute," Sakura caught up to him. "We're going to be working together, so it would be best to get along, right? It's always nice to have a new friend."

"…friend?" the redhead paused in his steps, and turned to face her.

The look he gave her not pleasant, and Sakura couldn't help but shiver at those empty eyes. "Yes, a friend. You know, someone who—"

There was sudden movement, and before Sakura could comprehend what was happening, the wind was knocked out of her and she found herself pressed against the building wall.

"Don't try to be my friend," a feral smile graced his lips. "…I'll _kill _you!"

Sakura let out a gasp.

…_He means it. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Let's make this clear. GAARA'S FATHER IS NOT A NICE PERSON. Hmm…more explanations as to why he's modeling and the whole basketball history will be explained in later chapters. **

**I'm a bit rushed right now, so I can't leave a lot of author's comments. **

**Next Update: Sunday, October 15th **

**Please Review! **


	15. Chapter 15

**For those asking about Inner Demons, I'm extremely sorry for the long wait. I promise I'll update it sometime next week  
**

**I HAVE MADE A MISTAKE.**

**In the previous chapter, I have put that Naruto knows that Sakura lives with Sasuke. It was a typo, and Naruto was supposed to be Hinata. So the list is Sakura, the Uchihas, Ino, Lee, and Hinata. Also, the staff at the school also knows where Sakura lives.**

**A two day early update! xD **

**Thanks for all the reviews! I think I've replied to any questions asked. If not, then please ask again…sorry! **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke's glare went from the hand on his shoulder, to the owner of said hand. "Is there something you want…"

A sigh was heard. "You always were the rude one, weren't you? One would expect that someone like you would have learned your manners at a rather young age but—"

"I asked you if there was something you want, Kakashi."

The silver-haired teacher sighed again, and did a quick skim of the area to make sure they were alone. "I am aware that Sakura lives in your household, no?"

"…"

"Well, I'm sure you've already noticed this, but hasn't Sakura been acting weird for the past few days?"

"…" Sasuke remained unmoved. So what if the girl had turned quieter? That was good news to him.

"Well," Kakashi gave him a cheery smile. "Since you _are _my treasured student, I have decided that you are the only one worthy enough to have the privilege of finding out what is wrong with her."

"No." the reply was immediate.

"Yes, Sasuke. You are supposed to say yes."

"No," Sasuke shrugged the hand off his shoulder. "Get the dobe."

"Ah, I would, you see," Kakashi proceeded to ruffle his hair. "But Naruto is rather…slow…on some things isn't he? We wouldn't want him to make things worse. You should feel honored, Sasuke. I trust in your abilities."

"I already said no," the Uchiha was walking away. "This isn't my problem."

"And…" It was time to bring out the heavy machinery. "You know, no one has ever achieved past 100 percent in my class. Not even…your brother."

Sasuke froze in his steps.

Kakashi smirked, knowing he had caught the boy's attention. "You have a 100 percent average right now, and I applaud you. But who knows? If I feel you are an active participant, I may just _add _some extra credit points." A laugh. "It would give you an even higher average than Itachi."

"You are trying to bribe me…" Sasuke stated the obvious.

"Well," Kakashi examined his nails nonchantly. "It's not like you _have _to do what I ask."

"…" Sasuke remained silent; his back faced to his teacher. "…hmph."

With a scowl plastered on his face, he walked out of the room, hands stuffed in his pockets. The dangerous aura around him seemed to have increased tenfold.

Kakashi watched his favorite—though he would never that aloud—student storm away. He pulled out his trusty orange book from his pocket, a smile on his face. "This will be fun."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_I'll kill you. _

Sakura kept her eyes lowered, as she slipped a library book out of its place on the shelf.

_I'll kill you. _

She had been miserable for days. It seemed like such a petty matter, but Sakura just couldn't seem to get rid of the lingering feeling of dread she felt. The look in his eyes…

_I'll kill you. _

She unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. Seating herself at an unoccupied table at the school library, she flipped open the book before her. Studying was a good thing to get her mind off of whatever problems she was experiencing.

"A medical book?" a voice suddenly asked.

Sakura jumped and she grabbed the table for support. She hadn't even realized there was someone behind her.

"That's pretty advanced for a high schooler," the voice continued. "I'm impressed."

Sakura turned in her chair, and her eyes widened when she found herself staring into the face of the school principal. "T-Tsunade-sama!"

"Are you studying for medical school?" the woman inquired, her head turning to the side to get a better view at the pages. "What's your name?"

"H-Haruno Sakura," the girl replied immediately.

"Haruno?" The woman put a finger to her chin. "Have I heard that somewhere before? Maybe back in my medical days…"

"My father is a doctor," Sakura offered meekly. Now that she thought about it, Tsunade was a woman mentioned in practically every medical book in the world. She was legendary for her astounding medical abilities.

"Ah yes!" Tsunade looked down at the girl. "Haruno! I remember now. Your father is a great man. Do you want to be a doctor?"

"It has always been my dream," Sakura replied earnestly. The idea of actually having a one-on-one conversation with _the _Tsunade, medical extraordinaire (and school principal,) seemed to be so surreal that the girl's mind was having a hard time processing what was happening.

"So, Sakura," Tsunade put her hands onto her hips. "Why don't you come to my office sometime after school? I can give you some advice and tips."

"W-What?" Sakura was ecstatic. "Really?"

"You can come tomorrow," the principal answered.

Sakura was about to thank the woman, but the library door slammed open, and the principal's assistant came rushing in.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune exclaimed. "Did you forget you have a meeting?"

A look of surprise crossed over the woman's face. "Shoot!" She gave the pink-haired girl an apologetic smile before charging out of the room, Shizune on her heels.

Sakura watched, and when finally everything seemed to sink in, she let out a gasp and covered her mouth in disbelief. This was unbelievable! She couldn't wait to get home to call her father and tell him she was going to work with Tsunade.

She leaned back in her chair, and as the excitement eventually died down, the feeling of dread started to reappear. Sakura groaned. What was she going to do about Gaara?

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"That was Haruno Sakura in the library right?" Shizune asked her mentor as they hurried to the conference.

"Yes, that was her."

"She seems to be good friends with Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, is that why you approached her?

"Partially," Tsunade replied. "I am impressed with her abilities. She seems to be a very hard worker…and…"

"And…?"

"And…" Tsunade stopped moving, as her body became tensed. "Jiraiya has informed me that he has befriended Uzumaki Naruto. I have a feeling I will be meeting with Haruno Sakura lately."

"Are you saying that…" Shizune's eyes saddened, "are you saying that history will repeat itself?"

"Yes," the Tsunade's eyes hardened. "And we all know _that snake_ wants…"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Uchiha Sasuke stared at the silent girl besides him as they made their daily trek home.

Now that Kakashi had mentioned it, the girl _did _seem to be acting weirdly. And as much as he hated to admit it, the silence she made was deafening.

He tried to think back to when her bizarre behavior has first emerged. Had it been a day ago? Two days ago?

His mind was able to bring up a memory of her quietness during dinner three days ago. She had a look of complete misery on her face, but of course, Uchiha Sasuke had not paid any attention until today.

If he recalled, she had been her normal self on the morning of Tuesday, so what had happened in the course of twelve hours that had changed cheery Haruno Sakura to a miserable one?

Lunch? No, the girl had still been happily chatting away with Naruto. Then it had to be after-school.

ModelingThe word instantly appeared in his mind. Something happened at her job.

_Gaara and I just went to the job yesterday. _

He recalled what she had told Naruto.

_Gaara._

_**Gaara.**_

_**Gaara. **_

There was the problem. Sasuke did not have any proof as of yet to prove anything, but his gut feeling told him the redhead was the source.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura snapped the boy out of his thoughts. "Is something the matter?"

"When's your next job?"

She tensed almost immediately, and this was not missed by Sasuke. She let out a nervous laugh, "Job? Why would Sasuke-kun want to know when my next job is?"

He continued to stare at her. "Because…I'm going with you."

"NO! YOU CAN'T!" the words were out before Sakura could stop herself.

"And why not?" Sasuke was satisfied. Now the girl would have to tell him what was bothering her and then he would tell Kakashi and get those extra credit points.

"Because…" Sakura mumbled. "Just because…"

Sasuke watched the girl, his arms folded in front of his chest. He wasn't going to gain anything with an answer like that. "What are you talking about…"

"It's my problem, okay?" Sakura cried out. "I'll take care of it on my own!" She was trembling, and her voice cracked from trying to keep down the sobs that threatened to burst from her throat. "Just…let me take care of it…" she turned away from him and started to increase her pace.

Sasuke instinctively reached out and grabbed her arm to prevent her from getting any further. The reaction was not one he expected.

She immediately flinched away from him, pain evident on her face. Her other hand came up to clutch the spot where he had touched.

Realization dawned on the boy, and his eyes narrowed. There was only one reasonable explanation as to why the girl would react the way she did.

"S-Sasuke-kun…" Sakura stuttered, wide-eyed and frightened. "I-I can explain!"

He was up to her in an instant, and gripped her other arm to keep her from escaping.

"Gaara…" he looked up at her, and Sakura swore that his eyes flashed red. "…he hurt you, didn't he?"

It was pretty obvious by then…

…that Uchiha Sasuke was furious.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**SUSPENSE!!! Or…at least I hope it's suspenseful. **

**I don't really want anyone to view Gaara as the big, mean, bad villain in this fic. He has been left alone since birth, so any normal person would have a few issues. I am portraying Gaara as he was during the beginning of the Chuunin exams. And as we all know…he changes in attitude later. **

**  
Kakashi is such a sweetie. But I just can't seem to fit him into the story as much as I want to. **

**Next Update: Approx. Thursday, October 19th**

**Please Review! **


	16. Chapter 16

"_L-Let go!" _

"_Do you understand?" the redhead snarled. "I'll kill you!"  
_

_His hands squeezed tighter. Sakura felt like her arms were being crushed. _

"_LET GO OF ME RIGHT NOW!" she screamed desperately. _

_He only continued to grip tighter. _

_Clattering was heard. "What's going on, un? I heard screaming." Deidara ran down the stairs. _

_Sasori followed shortly after. He stood there, his arms crossed in front of him, his posture calm and relaxed. Even still…the fury in his face was evident miles away. Sakura made a mental note at that moment to **never **get on Sasori's bad side. "I suggest you step away," he informed Gaara. "We wouldn't want to cause a scene now would we?"_

_Something flashed across the redhead's face, and suddenly, he released the girl and jerked back, his hands flying to clutch his head. He bent down, as though in pain. _

_Sakura watched him with scared eyes and a part of her almost felt pity for him while watching the agony he seemed to be experiencing. What was happening?_

_Just as suddenly as the pain had come, it was gone. He straightened up, and his face slid back into an emotionless demeanor. _

"_Why don't we take a break, un?" Deidara put in. "We'll give you guys a week's rest, un? Come back next Tuesday!" _

_Sakura forced herself to nod her head, and when she turned around, Gaara was already walking away, as though nothing had happened. _

_But something had happened, and it would most definitely be a long time before Sakura forgot his words…_

_I'll kill you._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"S-Something's wrong with him," Sakura said. "I don't know what, but something isn't right about Gaara."

After she had finished telling Sasuke what had happened that day, the Uchiha had yet to make a remark.

"I-I don't think he realized that he was hurting me!" she frantically put in. It would only cause trouble if a fight was started. "It really isn't that much of a big thing."

He continued to stare ahead, his lips pursed in what she supposed was hidden anger and frustration. "Hn…"

"A-are you going to do anything?" she asked meekly.

He turned to stare at her, and his mouth opened as though he was about to speak, before snapping shut a moment later. He chose his words carefully, "Do you want me to do anything?"

"Well," Sakura struggled for a moment. What kind of question was _that_? "He's dangerous, but I think there must be a reason why he's so closed off. It's pretty hard to explain, call it intuition, but I don't think he really means what he does." She paused for breath. "So no, I don't think you should go do anything. I would feel horrible if a fight started on my account, and even worse, you may also get hurt."

A sudden hand was on her back, and Sakura could only stare as the Uchiha in front of her awkwardly patted her back. "Feel better," he muttered.

Sakura started to smile, but froze when she caught the look in his eyes. They were cold, calculating, vengeful.

_He's planning to do something, _her mind was screaming, _Stop him! _

But before she could make a move, he removed his hand and walked into the house.

Sakura stood on the doorstep, unsure of what to do. _I'm going to have to keep an eye on him…_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The bell rang, signaling the end of yet another day of school.

Sakura walked out of the locker room, tired yet relieved that she could finally return home.

_I was able to keep track of him for the entire day. _She congratulated herself. _Now that school's ended, I won't have to worry. _

Packing her stuff, she hurried outside to find Sasuke. He didn't have swimming today, so they could walk home together.

Unfortunately, the Uchiha was nowhere in sight.

_Did he leave without me again? _Sakura considered the possibility, but quickly dismissed it. After the incident that happened on the first day of school, it had become some sort of unspoken rule that Sasuke would wait for her everyday.

"Naruto!" she caught sight of the blonde blur.

The boy came to a halt, and waved when he saw Sakura. "Hi, Sakura-chan!"

"Did you see Sasuke-kun?"

"Sasuke-teme?" Naruto thought it over for awhile. "I saw him leaving his locker quickly, but that's about it. Why? Is something the matter?"

Biting her lip, Sakura took a deep breath and hurriedly explained what had happened the day before.

When she had finished, Naruto was gaping at her with wide eyes. "Sakura-chan, you can't tell things like that to Sasuke-teme! He's the type of person who thinks in that 'eye for an eye' philosophy."

Sakura's eyes widened herself. "Does that mean…!"

Naruto nodded his face grim. "He probably left already for Suna Academy."

"What are we going to do?" Sakura was panicking. He had left earlier than her this morning, but she had not realized he'd taken his motorcycle with him. There was no way she would be able to catch him without a car.

Naruto seemed to realize the same thing, and he let out a frustrated snarl before beginning to pace back and forth.

"Yo."

Sakura gave a start, and whirled around. "Kakashi-sensei!"

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," Kakashi shrugged in a careless manner.

"You have a car, right?" Naruto grabbed his arm. "We need to go find Sasuke!"

"My my," Kakashi dropped his shoulders in defeat, seemingly in no hurry to go anywhere anytime soon. "Not only are they rude, but kids are so demanding these days, too."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelled in panic. This was not the time for playing around and making jokes.

"Calm down, calm down," the teacher raised his hands in defense. "We'll make it in time."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke ignored the stares around him as he leaned against a tree across from the Suna Academy's main entrance. School had just ended, and students poured out, slowing down in their steps as they saw the Konoha student standing there.

Whispers started, as most recognized him as an Uchiha.

He walked over to the nearest person he saw, and stared down at him with threatening eyes. "Where's Gaara."

The poor freshman was terrified, and he didn't know how to reply since he did not know the answer to the question. "Um…um…"

"Where's Gaara?" Sasuke didn't want to repeat himself a third time. But then—

"…Uchiha…Sasuke…"

The voice was familiar, and with a satisfied smirk, Sasuke slowly turned around to find himself face to face with the person he was seeking. "Gaara…"

Gaara studied the boy with an apathetic gaze, and a wicked smile played on the edges of his lips. "What brings you here, Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. By the tone of his voice, Gaara was mocking him. He took a step forward. "Haruno Sakura…"

"Haruno Sakura?" brief recognition passed through the redhead's eyes. "The model …"

"You know her don't you?" Sasuke took another step forward and Gaara made no move to back away. "She has bruises on her arm because of you."

"Oh, really?" Gaara didn't sound guilty at all. He sneered. "That's good, isn't it?"

Sasuke swung back his arm in fury, and his fist flew towards the still sneering redhead.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"We're here."

Sakura and Naruto bolted out of the car and raced towards the school. They could see a crowd not too far away, and Sakura prayed nothing had happened yet.

She and Naruto pushed through the onlookers, and when they reached the middle, the sight that greeted her was not one she was suspecting.

Naruto's face twisted in disgust and anger, and he took a step forward, raising a finger to point. "YOU!"

Sasuke and Gaara stood there, looking at each other with loathing and repugnance. A man stood between them, a sadistic and cynical glee lit in his eyes. He had on hand on the Sasuke's fist, and had effectively stopped his punch in mid-air. Sakura shivered just staring at him. Something was definitely not right.

"Long time no see," the man rasped out, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips,

Kakashi came out from the crowd, his face no longer relaxed.

"Orochimaru!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Nothing to comment about, really.**

**Next update: Saturday, October 28th**

**Please Review! **


	17. Chapter 17

The area was completely still, as Suna's students refused to disperse even after sensing the tense air passing between the mysterious man and Konoha's students. They were just all waiting for a fight to happen.

Besides her, Naruto was glaring vehemently at the man, and Sakura could only wander who this 'Orochimaru' was. Slightly nudging the boy, she gave him a questioning look.

"Don't trust him," the blonde spat out. "He's a complete snake."

"I had just finished a little…" there was pause as Orochimaru looked for the right word, "…meeting—yes, meeting—with the principal, Gaara's father, and I come out to see Sasuke-kun. _Fufufu…_it _must _be fate."

Sasuke sneered in response, pulling his fist out of the snake man's grasp. Kakashi stepped up and placed a protective hand onto the boy's shoulder. "I think it's time we leave," he addressed Orochimaru, his voice straining with feigned politeness.

The man let out a raspy laugh. "Why the hurry?" Not waiting for a reply, he turned his eyes onto the youngest Uchiha. "How have you been Sasuke-kun?"

"Don't answer him, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, his fists clenched at his side. This only caused Sakura to wander what history these people shared.

"Ah, if it isn't the little blonde sidekick," Orochimaru turned towards their direction, and Sakura found herself freezing under his scrutinizing gaze. "And who's' this? A girl?"

He was examining her, as though trying to figure out exactly what she was to Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura shuddered.

"I _said _we should be leaving," Kakashi had dropped the respectful act, his eyes hard and darting between Sasuke and Orochimaru.

"Hn." Sasuke shrugged out of Kakashi's grip, and started heading towards the parking lot.

"You know, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru flashed a cruel smile. "My proposal still stands."

The reaction was quite amazing.

Kakashi widened his eyes, Naruto stepped forward, "You bastard!" And Sasuke…he completely stiffened.

_A proposal…? _Sakura was itching for answers, but now was definitely not the right time to be asking any questions.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sasuke finally spoke up, "I won't make the same mistake twice," he snapped tersely, before continuing on his way.

"Wait up, Sasuke!" Naruto shot the Orochimaru a dirty look, before running after his best friend.

Sakura, unsure of whether to follow or not, decided to wait for Kakashi.

"You know his heart, Kakashi," Orochimaru hadn't stopped smiling, and the action itself had Sakura feeling dread. "You know what he wants. You know what he'll seek."

"Well, he has friends to prevent that from ever happening," a light smile of his own played on the teacher's lips. "Right, Sakura?"

So lost in her thoughts, Sakura was startled when her name was heard, and it took her a moment before registering what exactly she had been asked. "Y-yes, Kakashi-sensei!"

Orochimaru watched with amused eyes. "Isn't that just _sweet. _But Sasuke-kun isn't interested in friends. Do you know what he's _really _interested in, girl?"

Sakura faltered.

_I wouldn't call it goal, but an ambition. It's to…surpass a certain man._

He had said that to her on the first day of her stay at the Uchiha Manor. Sakura found it odd that it was popping up at a time like this.

Orochimaru licked his lips. "Sasuke-kun wants _power._ Did you know that? That is his goal in life. _Nothing _will stop him," the man paused, his eyes drifting over her face. "Not even some girl like you or the pathetic boy that calls himself Sasuke-kun's best friend."

"That's enough!" Kakashi was suddenly standing in front of her. His eyes were cold, hard, threatening. "We're _leaving._"

Orochimaru let out a sigh of mock disappointment. "That's too bad. I was having so much fun catching up on old times."

"Let's go, Sakura," Kakashi placed a hand onto her back and started guiding her towards the direction of the car.

Sakura couldn't help but glance back, but was surprised to see that Orochimaru had already disappeared. Her eyes drifted to the right, and landed on an unsmiling boy, his arms crossed and his eyes apathetic. He was staring at her.

_Gaara…! _

Sakura had completely forgotten about him, and she quickly turned around. Kakashi looked down at her, silently asking her if she was alright, and Sakura gave a slight nod of her head to assure him.

When they approached the car, Naruto and Sasuke were already there, and the blonde was furiously whispering something into the Uchiha's ears. But when he caught sight of the teacher and the pink-haired girl, he stopped and straightened, a shaky smile forming onto his lips as he waved to them.

"Let's get in, guys," Kakashi said gently, and silently, the three teens complied.

The car remained silent, and Sakura found herself twitching in her seat. She wanted to talk, but exactly what was there to talk about?

"That was rather reckless of you, Sasuke," Kakashi was the one who broke through the stillness, "if you were going to seek out Gaara, you should have at least brought Naruto with you. In fact, I'm hurt you didn't invite me."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura couldn't believe her ears. She knew Kakashi was trying to lighten the atmosphere, but talking about a near-fight in such a joking manner hardly seemed right.

"What?" Kakashi chuckled. "I don't see the problem, Sakura. Shouldn't you be feeling honored? Sasuke here went to fight on your behalf."

"Hmph," Sasuke scoffed in contempt, and Sakura found herself blushing to the roots of her hair.

"Sakura-chan is mine!" Naruto joined in on the bantering, and suddenly pulled the girl closer. "She likes me more anyway!"

"Don't get so cocky," Kakashi warned the blonde, his tone teasing. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Guys, stop!" Sakura was turned redder and redder by the second. Orochimaru had seemed to be completely forgotten.

"Yes, we should stop," Kakashi had pulled the car to a halt. "You're home."

With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke stepped out of the car. "Come on," he muttered to the girl.

His eyes were distant, and Sakura immediately knew that what had happened earlier was still on his mind. She made a vow then and there that she would get the answers out of him about what had happened between them.

"Are you coming or not?" His voice broke her out of her trance.

Sakura quickly followed, while giving Kakashi a 'thank you' and an apology for all the trouble that she had caused.

As she closed the door, she could hear Naruto's incredulous voice.

"She _lives _with _him_!"

"That pretty much is obvious, isn't it?" the teacher replied.

"But that's not fair!"

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because that gives Sasuke-teme an advantage!"

"An advantage?"

"He spends more time with her than me!"

A sigh. "Well, life's not fair, Naruto."

…and the car drove off.


	18. Chapter 18

**I am sad to say I don't really have an excuse for the lack of updating.**

**All I can say is that I've been swamped with school work and other events (but isn't everyone?) **

**I'll try my best to update faster.**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Great, so I'll see you at seven! Bye!"

"What are you doing with the phone?"

"S-Sasuke-kun!"

Uchiha Sasuke leaned against the door frame, eying the blushing pink-haired girl suspiciously. He had just returned from practice and walked into the family room when she had hung up the phone.

"Who did you call?" his eyes narrowed even more when the girl avoided meeting his gaze.

"I-uh-invited a couple of friends to see a movie…"

His suspicions decreased. If Sakura wanted to see a movie, he was in no position to stop her. Losing interest at the current conversation, he turned to exit the room when…

"…at our house."

Time froze for the Uchiha boy. With disbelieving eyes, he whipped towards the shyly grinning girl. "You did _what?_"

"Sorry," she squeaked before she rushed past him in a desperate attempt to escape him before he truly exploded.

"Come back here," his arm shot out, and he snatched her before she had even taken a step out of the room. He pulled her back, and looked upon her with furious eyes. "Did _I _give you permission to do this? Are you forgetting who this house belongs to?"

"Well…" he didn't like the sly grin she was sending his way. "_You _didn't give me permission. But, your mother did!"

Dazed momentarily, he loosened his grip, and taking her chance, Sakura quickly slipped away from his grasp. With a stifled groan, he brought a hand to his head. _Why? Why _did his mother always do this to _him_? What had he ever done to deserve such unfair treatment from his own flesh and blood? He was pretty sure Itachi had never had to suffer such torture.

It was a Friday, and Sasuke had been silently wishing to have a nice _quiet _weekend by himself without any disturbances. But then that stupid Sakura had decided to go call all their (or mostly her) friends and complicate things.

Someone save him now.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"I'll get the door!"

Sasuke groaned from his position on the couch as he watched the giddy girl bounce out of the room. He glanced at the clock, and wondered to himself who in their right mind would come half an hour earlier then the planned time.

"Sakura-chan!"

Oh…right. The _idiot _Naruto would definitely pull something like that.

"Sasuke-teme is here too!"

The Uchiha ignored the blonde fool in front of him. About a week ago, when Naruto had found about their peculiar living arrangements, he had somehow managed to keep his mouth shut and not let out the secret to anyone at school (Sasuke had a vague suspicion that Kakashi had probably threatened the blonde.) Not that it would matter anyway, since _someone _had decided to invite everyone to the house.

"Why are you here at 6:30, dobe."

"Well….I wanted to spend some quality time alone with Sakura-chan."

Silence pervaded through the room.

A cleared throat. "I said some quality time _alone, _Sasuke-teme."

"Don't count on it, dobe. This is my house." If there was one thing Uchiha Sasuke would not allow, it would be getting kicked out of his own living room.

Sakura watched the bickering boys and couldn't help but heave a sigh. By the time they stopped fighting, it would already be seven.

However, her worry was silenced when the doorbell rang once again. She charged to the door, and was greeted by Hinata. The shy girl was fidgeting with her fingers once more.

"Hinata!" Naruto came bounding through the living room and enveloped her in a friendly hug.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata was unable to contain her surprise…or her nervousness. She went blushing to the roots of her hair and began to tremble.

Sakura, sensing the girl's predicament decided to help out. "Naruto, you should back away." She cautioned.

Naruto turned questioning eyes towards her before smiling deviously. "Oh, I get it. Sakura-chan is jealous! I'll give her a hug, too!"

"No, Naruto—! Don't—!"

Sasuke watched with apathetic eyes. "Idiots," he muttered.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

By the time it finally reached seven (which seemed forever to Sasuke,) the doorbell began to constantly ring. Lee arrived shortly after Hinata, and greeted Sakura with a hug that could rival Naruto's.

Neji and Tenten came a few minutes later (the Hyuuga always seemed to be giving the girl rides these days.)

"You live with Uchiha Sasuke!" had been Tenten's first words upon entering the house.

"Interesting," Neji had remarked, seemingly amused.

Chouji, Kiba, and Shikamaru had come together. While Chouji and Kiba gaped and gawked, Shikamaru had merely stuffed his hands in his pockets and sighed.

"It was pretty obvious," he explained. "I mean, there had to be reason they always arrived on school at the same time and he was constantly sending her home."

Ino was the last one.

She, of course, had not been surprised at all, but couldn't help but gush on for minutes about how lucky Sakura was to be living with _him, _Uchiha Sasuke.

When the movie had finally started (some sort of an action adventure/fantasy sort of flick,) they had all fallen into a peaceful silence.

By the time the film was over, it was barely ten.

Deeming it too early to sleep, the girls popped another video in while the other boys had to resort to threats and bribery to make Sasuke and Neji stay.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It was during the middle of the movie when Sakura found her attention drifting from the screen to the people—friends—surrounding her.

Her eyes began to droop as a sudden wave of exhaustion overcame her. Had she always been this tired? She leaned forward, though no one else seemed to notice. Sasuke sat to her right, and she noted that his eyes were closed, but knew that they were probably shut from boredom and not from fatigue. How comfortable it would be if she just closed her eyes right now.

_No, it would be rude. I invited them. _She willed herself to keep awake. She glued her eyes to the screen, but found her mind drifting once more.

A few months back, when she had first arrived, she had been an outwardly timid and shy girl with a hidden temper. She had been afraid, especially when the first person she met that was her age had been someone as stoic and cold as Uchiha Sasuke.

She had been nervous, nervous of what was to come. Unconfident of her ability to adapt.

Ino had appeared at the most unexpected time, and then soon after she had met everyone else within this room. Thinking back to the first day of school, she realized just how lucky she was that she was able to manage befriending such a wonderful group of friends.

_Yes…they are wonderful._

She gave in to the weariness and closed her eyes.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The credits were rolling.

"I need to stretch," Naruto stood from the couch. "Wasn't that a good movie, Sakura-chan?"

There was no response.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Will you be quiet?" Tenten reprimanded in a hushed tone. "Can't you see she's asleep?"

"Oh." Naruto laughed sheepishly as he located 'his' Sakura-chan, only to have his eyes bulge out in shock. "Why is she leaning on Sasuke?!"

"Isn't it obvious," Kiba sneered. "She fell asleep and tipped towards him."

"But—but!"

"Hmm…what's going on?"

Sakura awoke.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

She could feel herself being pulled from the depths of her slumber and slowly regaining consciousness. She heard voices, one particularly loud.

_Naruto…_was her immediate thought.

But she didn't want to wake up. Whatever she was resting on felt good, felt comfortable. She wanted to snuggle into it, but at that moment, a rather loud proclamation (this time she was sure it _was _Naruto's voice) forced her eyes to snap open.

"Hmm…what's going on?"

Her vision was blurred, but she could make out the various figures of her friends. What had they been doing again? Oh yes, watching a movie.

But then wait, what had she been sleeping on? It was too hard to be the arm of the sofa. She snuck a glance upwards…into the relaxed face of Uchiha Sasuke.

Jerking away, she felt the blood rushing to her face, and quickly looked down to hide her embarrassment.

"I-Is anyone hungry?" she winced at her stuttering. "I-I'll go get some food."

"I'll come with you," Hinata offered.

As the two girls scurried out of the room, all eyes turned to the Uchiha, who still had not moved from his position.

"You can stop pretending now," Neji seemed amused. "We all know."

Naruto glanced around. "What? Knew what?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Sasuke was never asleep."

"WHAT?! Sasuke-teme!"

With his eyes still closed, a semblance of a smirk appeared on Uchiha Sasuke's face. "Hn…"

As Naruto shouted at the Uchiha, and everyone else looked on with amused eyes, no one paid notice to the unusually silent Ino sitting at the far end of the room.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It was on Monday morning that Sakura received the shock of her life when a horde of fan girls ran up to her.

"You live with Uchiha Sasuke!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**So…end of chapter. **

**I think I made it painfully obvious this time who told the secret. **

**Ah…suspense (or my pathetic attempt at it.) **

**Once again, I'm sorry for the slow updating. It's unfortunate that I will not be able to guarantee a faster updating rate. **

**So thank you to those who waited patiently.**

**Please Review! **


	19. Chapter 19

**There have been a few problems with my email recently. And I've only recently gotten everything fixed. There's a lot of reviews and pm's to read through (which I'm very grateful for!) So if any questions were asked, please give me a few days to sort through everything and reply. Thank you everyone! **

**XXXXXXXXX**

"It's her—"

"She's the one—?"

"How dare she—"

"The nerve—"

With a muffled groan, Sakura lowered her head and forced out the whispers surrounding her.

All day it had been like this. She didn't know how it had leaked out, but now the entire school knew that Haruno Sakura lived with Uchiha Sasuke.

She was too scared to go talk to Sasuke about it, and he made no move to approach her, even though he was in a large number of her classes.

She entered the classroom, only to realize that everyone had stopped their activities and were staring.

With a sigh, she slumped down in her seat, hoping the day would end swift and soon.

**XXXXXXXXX**

At the far end of the school, a group of teenagers huddled behind the dumpster, their eyes filled with evil intent.

"Here's half the money. I'll give you the other half when you finish."

"We just have to give her a scare, right?"

"Yeah, but don't you dare let my name slip out!"

"If you say so, Ami."

"I told you not to say my name!"

"But…we're behind a dumpster, aren't we?"

"It doesn't matter. Don't ever mention it!"

"So we can do this however we want, right?"

"Yes, yes. I already said you could. Now hurry up and leave. I don't want to be caught with the likes of you here."

"Why are you doing this again?"

"It simple…Uchiha Sasuke is _mine_!"

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan, where are you?" Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "Eh…I was sure I saw her a few minutes ago."

The school day had just ended, and just as he was exiting the room, he thought he saw a pink blur rush past him. Now there was only one girl with pink hair in their school, and that was Haruno Sakura.

He had tried to comfort her…really…he had tried, but no matter what he had said during their classes, her mood only seemed to worsen.

The halls were filled with people, each one eager to get home.

The blonde stretched his neck, trying to catch a glimpse at pink over all the heads of the other students.

His efforts were in vain, however, for by the time the halls cleared, she was still unable to be located. He himself began feeling depressed. All he wanted to do was be able to cheer up the girl of his dreams, but in the end, he had been no help at all.

Dejected, Naruto walked out, and circled around to the back of the school. It was a shortcut back to his home. He was unaware of the people following him.

By the time the he felt the blow to his head, it was already too late to react, and he dropped down into the dirt. The last words he heard before losing consciousness was the words "Idiot."

_Who are you calling…idiot…._he thought, before his eyes closed.

The two boys stared at the unconscious boy on the ground.

"That was too easy," one sneered, while bending down to grope around inside the boy's pockets.

"Hurry up," his partner, the taller of the two, barked. "We'll get caught if we don't leave."

"Alright, alright, I got it," the shorter boy straightened, a small rectangular object in his grip.

He was holding the cell phone of Uzumaki Naruto.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Sakura was halfway home when a chime from her pocket indicated the incoming of a text message. Too tired to really want to answer back, she nonetheless pulled out her phone to see who had messaged her.

It was from Naruto, and by the looks of the message, it sounded urgent.

"Meet me at the downtown district?" she read aloud. "It's an emergency! Get there immediately!"

_He must really be in trouble…_her mind concluded. _He was so panicked that he even spelled 'emergency' and 'immediately' wrong. _

She ran up the steps into the Uchiha household, and dumped her backpack onto her bed, before racing back downstairs to find Itachi halfway out the door.

"Itachi-san! Can you give me a ride?"

**XXXXXXXXX**

"You do realize I can't pick you up," Itachi informed her as she was about to close the car door.

Sakura smiled. "It's alright. I'll just walk back."

Itachi regarded her coolly. "Hn."

"Thanks again for the ride," Sakura gave him another smile. "and sorry for delaying you to wherever you're going to go."

"I'll tell my little brother to pick you up."

"Pardon?"

"Be back at this place by seven."

"A-Alright, then."

His car sped off.

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Now where did Naruto tell me to go," Sakura re-read the text message. "Where is this street?"

Around her, she was vaguely aware of the people turning to stare. It was not everyday a student, especially one looking as innocent as she, came wandering into the downtown district.

"May I help you?" a man gave her a leering smile, his teeth yellow from a lifetime of cigarettes.

Sakura tried to ignore the smoke being blown into her face and tried not to notice the woman clad in a tight fitting dress dangling off his arm. you tell me where this place is?" She pointed to the words on her cell phone.

The man lifted his finger and pointed down a seemingly perpetual road. "It's a long way down, but you'll reach it if you keep walking straight."

She nodded her head in gratitude, before tucking her phone back away and heading towards the direction the man had pointed.

_Naruto…why would you come to a place like this? _

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Gah, where is that idiot?" Sakura seated herself down onto a nearby crate. She didn't have a clock with her, but anyone could tell that it was getting late.

_I've been waiting at this place for at least an hour. _She thought, downcast. _And Naruto hasn't picked up at all when I've called him. _

Worry for the blonde began to overtake her. _What if something's really happened to him? Who could possibly know where he is? _

A person popped into her mind, and she quickly dialed the number.

After a few rings, the phone was picked up, "H-Hello, Hyuuga residence. Hinata speaking."

"Hinata, it's Sakura. Did you know where Naruto is?"

"Naruto? S-Sakura, Naruto's in the hospital!"

Sakura almost dropped her phone. "What?"

"H-He was found unconscious behind the school about an hour ago."

_Behind the school? Then does that mean that message was a fake?!_

"S-Sakura, where are you? Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." _I can't let Hinata worry. _"I just needed to ask him about our homework and I couldn't find him."

"Oh. Okay." The girl sounded skeptical.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hinata."

"Sakura…are you sure you're fine? Your voice sounds a little—"

"Bye, Hinata."

Sakura looked around. _Something isn't right about all this… _

"Oh, did you wait long for us, Haruno-san?"

Sakura stared up at the two men in front of her. _They look familiar. _Were they from her school?

Warning bells went off in her head. _I've got to get out here! _

"There are some rumors going around about you and that Uchiha boy, right?" one of them asked.

"Yeah," the other added, "and some of them girls aren't too pleased at you—hey, get back here!"

She had begun to run.

**XXXXXXXXX**

The phone was ringing.

"Who is this?"

"Be more polite, little brother."

"_Itachi?_" Sasuke stared down at the phone in his hand. Since when did his brother start calling him? He had always thought there was a taciturn agreement between them which stated that they had the least amount of communication as possible.

"Our house guest needs a little favor."

"Really now," Sasuke knew of the rumors that were spreading around school. They didn't bother him, but there was no doubt that Sakura had been affected. The fact that she wished to ask something of him at a time like this hardly seemed believable.

"She's at the downtown district," Itachi continued. "Go pick her up at seven."

_Why in the world is she there? _"Wait—Itachi, what do you mean—"

His brother had hung up.

**XXXXXXXXX**

"We've got you cornered, Haruno-san. Don't' be afraid."

"W-What are you going to do?" Sakura looked around frantically. There had to be a way out! She took a step back, only to make contact with a wall.

"We were just supposed to warn you," the other one leered, he and his partner advancing, "but your pretty cute."

"S-Stay Away!" She threatened, anger beginning to build up inside of her. _I'll defend myself if I have to! _

They began to laugh, and continued to step forward.

She clenched her fists, waiting for them to come, waiting for her hands to land, so she could show them not to mess with Haruno Sakura. However, the attack never came.

"What's going on?" it was another male's voice.

Something in her mind clicked. Why did it sound so familiar?

"Y-You!" his voice was one of shock and terror.

"We can't mess with him! Let's get out of here!"

She heard scrambled footsteps, and then felt another pair of feet approach, this one calm and steady.

A shadow loomed over her, "What are you doing at this place…"

She looked up, and her anger quickly dissipated, replaced by an uncontrollable amount of fear.

She was staring…

Right into the apathetic eyes of Sabaku no Gaara.

**XXXXXXXXX**

**Um…suspense? **

**Yeah, so I'm sorry (again) for the slow updating. I just couldn't seem to find the time to sit down and type. Heh.**

**My school was closed due to snow today, so I finally found the time to finish this chapter. **

**Happy St. Valentine's Day to all, and have a happy holiday. **

**I hoped you've enjoyed this chapter.**

**Please Review! **


	20. Chapter 20

**Next Chapter…**

**Finally!**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Gaara, where did you go?"

"…"

"Oh, and you've brought back someone with you?"

Sakura stared at the boy lounging in the love seat, intrigued by the purple stripes tattooed all over his face.

"I found her wandering in the streets," The red head pushed her through the door. He shoved her towards the seated boy. "She's from Konoha."

"A Konoha brat, you say?" Sakura involuntarily shivered as the older boy assessed her. His eyes showed just how highly he thought of her. "What would a Konoha brat be doing here? Aren't they too _high _and _mighty _for places like this?"

"I-um…."

"Well, speak up, girl! You've got a name, don't you?"

"I do…." _You don't have to be so impatient. Geez. _"But who are…"

"I should have known," the boy cut her off, sighing and shaking his head as though disappointed. "The rich little Konoha weaklings have no guts—they get all scared and frightened over a somewhat intimidating looking guy? So, are you going to tell me you're name or what?"

"It's Haruno Sakura," she snapped. "If you had the decency to let me finish my sentences, then you could have heard it much sooner. And my hearing is perfectly fine, thank you. I don't need someone yelling at me within the first five minutes of meeting him! Not to mention, your criticism is nothing but a sign of your immatureness and overall lack of manners."

He looked taken aback by her sudden change in attitude, but after a moment of stunned silence, he smiled, and leaned back into his chair. "So you've got some spirit after all." Approval gleamed in his eyes. "Interesting, isn't it, Temari?"

"Haruno Sakura, you say? I heard your name caused quite a commotion between that darling Uchiha and my baby brother the other day."

Sakura turned around, just only beginning to realize that another woman had entered the room. _Temari…didn't Naruto tell me that Temari was…! _

The woman seemed to read the look on her face, and gave her an impish grin. "Yes, Gaara here is my _dearest _baby brother. That slacker on the love seat is Kankuro. I'm Temari."

"Heh," the man now identified as Kankuro pushed himself up. "So Haruno-_san_," the suffix was clearly mocking, "what is a lovely girl like you doing in such a rotten place?"

"I was…tricked into coming here," Sakura muttered in reply, her fists beginning to clench. If she ever found out who had plotted this against her…they would be in for it!

"Oh, tricked, you say?" Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "Interesting, don't you think Gaara?"

"Hmph," Gaara pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning on. "You two do what you want with her. I'm leaving." Without a second glance, he brushed past his older sister and slammed the door shut.

Sakura stared after him, brows creased in confusion. Who was this boy? He had threatened her, had injured her, and had made it painstakingly clear that he did not with to associate with her. And yet, he had shown up and 'saved' her. Was he really as heartless and cruel as she first believed?

"Well, now that we're all acquainted," Temari suddenly grabbed Sakura and dragged her down to the couch, leaning over her like an eager puppy ready for a nice juicy bone. "I think Kankuro and I here have tons of questions we want to be answered. How do you know Gaara? What's your relationship with Sasuke? Why were they fighting? How were you involved?"

Kankuro rolled his eyes, and smacked a hand to his head. "Here she goes again…"

"I…um…know Gaara from work?" Sakura gave out a weak laugh, a bit unnerved by the sudden barrage of questions just launched at her.

"Oh." Temari leaned back, and the relaxedness slowly slipped from her features. She exchanged glances with her brother. "Work."

They all grew silent, then, and Sakura could only watch as a silent conversation seemed to pass through the two older siblings of Sabaku no Gaara.

"Well," Temari finally broke the silence after what seemed like an eternity to Sakura. She gave the girl next to her a grin. "Work. Isn't that interesting?" She sounded anything but enthusiastic.

"Ah, who cares about how she knows that antisocial runt?" Kankuro smirked, though he still seemed somewhat tense. Sakura mentally wondered why 'work' seemed to cause so much uneasiness between the two sand siblings. "What I'm interested in is how you know that Uchiha and why he came onto our property looking for Gaara because of you."

"Welll, before anymore questions are answered," Temari jumped up from the couch. "Doesn't anyone care for refreshments?" She walked over to the center of the room, and slammed her foot onto the ground. "Gaara!" she hollered, startling the pink-haired girl still seated on the couch. "Get up here right now!"

There was no sound or movement, and the blonde repeated the action several times, before a slamming of the door was suddenly heard, followed by loud heavy steps up a set of stairs before finally the door to the room crashed open with a thud. Gaara stood in the hallway, seemingly ready to rip someone's (most likely his sister's) lungs out and throw it into the shredder. "_What_ do you want?" he snarled, his entire body shaking from resisting the enormous urge to attack his sister.

Sakura shrunk back, and even Kankuro took a step away from his enraged brother.

"Finally," Temari placed a hand on her hip, seemingly unfazed by her younger sibling. "Since you seem to be doing nothing, why don't you go run an errand for your dear sister and get a pack of sodas at the nearest convenience store?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a wallet. "Here, I'll give you the money if you don't have any—"

"Get it yourself," Gaara ground out.

"Oh, but Gaara?" Temari feigned a look of innocence. "How could you possibly send a poor defenseless woman like me into such a shady area on such a dark night? Aren't you afraid I would be assaulted?"

"You'll end up being the one assaulting someone else," her brother muttered in reply, turning from the door.

"Gaara, please?" Temari grabbed him by the arm. "And perhaps you could take Sakura with you. Show her around, if you know what I mean."

"What?" Sakura and Kankuro both exclaimed at the same time.

"You heard me," Temari turned her smile at towards the two. "My baby brother could show Sakura around."

Sakura watched the grin on the woman's face, and then slowly realized that the smile was unnatural and rigid. Now that she paid attention, her voice was also laced with urgency, too. _She wants me to leave. _The girl realized. _She wants to talk with Kankuro. _Understanding dawned on Sakura.

She glanced at Gaara, who was currently locked in a glaring contest with his sister, neither one budging. It didn't look like they would be giving up anytime soon either.

"Alright then!" Sakura marched over to the red head, and despite her mind warning her about the consequences that would surely follow, she shoved Sabaku no Gaara outside the door. "We'll be leaving now!"

Gaara stumbled two steps, before his entire face twisted in anger. Before he could issue another death threat, Sakura had clamped her hand over his mouth and grabbed the wallet from the stunned Temari's hands. "We'll be back with the drinks soon!"

And with that, she quickly closed the door.

On the other side, the two siblings of Gaara watched in shock.

"I always admired you for standing up to him," Kankuro shuddered. "But damn, I never thought that someone would actually push Gaara. That girl has guts."

"Well, he's got to open up sooner or later," Temari sighed. "Besides, we should see how everything unfolds. It should be interesting, right?"

"Yeah." Kankuro looked at his sister. "Now what's the real reason you kicked them out of here?"

Temari slunk into the loveseat previously occupied by her brother. "We've got to talk." She rubbed her head. "It's about Father…and Gaara's work."

"…I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"So….Gaara," Sakura hesitantly extended her hand to give him his sister's wallet. Why did she always get herself into these situations? "Here you go."

He stared at her, before roughly pushing her aside. Her shoulder hit the wall with a thud.

"Oww…" She groaned. Before she could get back up, the wallet was pulled out between her fingers, and she glanced up to see Gaara storming away.

_I don't want to get lost in this place. _Sakura stood up and swallowed. _Being with him is better than being alone…_

She took a deep breath…and ran after him.

_At least, I hope so…_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Ah, excuse me, but could you tell me where the refreshments section is?"

"Look, little lady, this store isn't that big, you could go find it by yourself."

Sakura glared at the man at the counter, who had his eyes glued to the television screen.

"Look here, isn't your job to help the customer?" _I could go find the section by myself. But with your kind of attitude, there's no way I'm going to give in and let you get your way! _"I'm asking where the refreshments section is, so you should be eager to provide me with an answer."

"Do you have a problem with me, little lady?" The man turned towards her, and slammed his beefy hands onto countertop, standing up from his seated position. "Would you like to say what you just said to me one more time?"

Sakura glared up in defiance at the huge man. She was not going to be intimidated. "Are you deaf? I said—"

"I'll kill both of you if you don't get this over with soon."

Sakura whirled towards the person behind her. "You're no help at all!"

"G-Gaara!" The man widened his eyes. "I-I didn't see you!" He quickly shuffled out from behind the counter. "I didn't mean to cause trouble, honest! Here, little lady, I'll show you where the section is!"

Sakura glared at the red head. _I didn't need your help!_

Gaara stared back emotionlessly.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke glanced in annoyance at his watch. It read half past seven.

_She's late._

He glanced around in the dark

"I can't believe this girl."

He revved his engine, and his motorcycle sped off to search for her.

_Why are you always causing me trouble? _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You know, even if you're very violent…and brutal…and intimidating," Sakura glanced at the silent redhead next to her. "I actually don't think you're such a bad person."

_In fact…you kind of remind me of…!!!_

"Oh My God!" Sakura smacked her head. "Sasuke!"

Gaara stared down at her in silent confusion.

"Itachi-san told me that Sasuke-kun would be here at seven! It's already so dark, it has to be past seven already! This isn't good! I'm going to get in so much trouble!"

Gaara ignored the girl's cries. He heard someone approaching, and swiveled his head towards the sound of the footsteps.

"I should definitely call him, even if he'll be really mad and—Gaara?" Sakura noticed the boy next to her had started shaking.

He wasn't watching her anymore, as his gaze was to someone—or something—behind her. He was…smiling.

_His grin…it's freaking me out…it looks so feral…_

"Uchiha Sasuke."

_What? _Sakura quickly turned around, and there in the flesh, was Uchiha Sasuke, looking more irritated than ever before.

"Sakura…what are you doing with _him_?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**The joys of yet another cliffhanger! Gaara is so…sweet, isn't he? Heh.**

**Love the Sand Siblings.**

**Of course, adore Sasuke even more. **

**What will happen between Gaara and Sasuke? **

**What will Sakura do?**

**What will be revealed about Gaara's mysterious past?**

**(God, I sound like some broken down, out-dated narrator for Saturday morning cartoons.)**

**Find out next chapter!**

**Please Review! **


	21. Chapter 21

**I KNOW! IT'S BEEN FOREVER! I'M SORRY!**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sasuke…kun?" Sakura was unsure of how she should act.

Sasuke and Gaara were glaring at each other, neither of their gazes unwavering.

"Sakura," the Uchiha said once more, his gaze not leaving the redhead's. "Answer me. I want to know why you're with him of all people."

A sneer donned Gaara's face. His eyes held the wild look of a predator…craving blood. "Do you have a problem, Uchiha…Sasuke?" The name was drawn out in a mocking manner, and as Gaara had wished, it only served to infuriate the raven-haired boy even more.

Sakura stepped in before anything could happen. She stepped over to Sasuke, who looked like he was ready to start a fight. She placed a hand around the boy's arm, realizing that his muscles were stiff with tension. _Not good. _

"What if I did have a problem?" Sasuke ignored the girl besides him, and took a menacing step towards the redhead, his voice just barely below a snarl.

"Well…" Gaara smiled that feral grin of his once more. He left his sentence hanging…but his message was clear enough.

Sakura gripped tighter down on Sasuke's arm, and stepped in front of him, shielding him away from Gaara. "It's late. Perhaps it's time we parted ways, don't you agree Gaara? My ride has come to pick me up."

Gaara regarded her with a cool gaze. He spoke after a moment, "Yes…it is late. Leave before your dog there snaps apart from his leash."

Sasuke tensed even more behind her, and whirling around, Sakura grabbed his arms and stared pleadingly up into his eyes. "Please," she implored. "Don't do it. Let's just…let's just go home, huh?"

His entire body was trembling with fury, but Sasuke seemed to regain a semblance of his control, and still tense, he managed to force out a gritted "Hn." Turning, his hand clasped around her wrist, and he began to walk away (storming seemed like a more appropriate term, but Uchihas were too poised for such actions.)

"Sakura…" they had only walked a few steps when Gaara's voice sounded from behind them.

Slowly, Sakura turned around to face the still grinning boy, Sasuke's hand still around her wrist.

Gaara spoke to her, but his eyes landed on Sasuke, eyes mocking. Sakura knew that before he had even opened his mouth, she would dread what he would say. "…See you tomorrow at work."

The clutch on her wrist tightened, and this time, Sasuke really did storm away, Sakura behind him, trying to keep up with his long strides. Any earlier positive thoughts about Gaara fled her mind. He had purposely tried to provoke Sasuke. Things would not be good when they returned home…

No words were exchanged between them as Sasuke sped down the roads at a wild pace, Sakura behind him clinging on for dear life. She buried her face into his back as the dark scenery blew past her, and prayed that they would make it back to the household alive and unharmed.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura shifted nervously from foot to foot. She was standing in the living room, waiting for Sasuke to return after he parked his motorcycle into the garage.

She could've escaped if she wanted to, fled to her room, and collapsed onto her bed. But the confrontation was going to happen sooner or later. If not today, then tomorrow. She chose to get it over with as fast as possible.

He didn't keep her waiting long. The door leading from the garage into the house flew open, and in came Sasuke. It was clear that his mood had hardly improved.

"Sasuke…" Sakura began, her voice hushed. It would be impolite to awaken his parents. "What happened…it was a mistake…Gaara, he…"

"What were you doing there in the first place?" Sasuke barely gave her a chance to talk, as he advanced and backed her into a wall. His eyes were blazing, almost flashing red. "Did you arrange to meet him? After all the trouble he's caused? Do you have any idea how dangerous the downtown area is? Do you have any idea how dangerous _he _is?"

She waited for him to take a breath, and when he did, she immediately cut him off. "Didn't you hear about Naruto?"

He paused, before narrowing his eyes in impatience. "What does that have to do with anything?"

And so, Sakura launched herself into telling the story of how she had received the text message from Naruto, only to realize later that the message had been a fake and the two boys had cornered her in the alley (she noticed with some hidden pleasure that Sasuke had clenched his fists when he heard about her endangerment) up to the part where Gaara had come and scared the boys away.

Sasuke was silent for a long while. Some of his anger seemed to have dissipated. "…so that's why you were with him."

"You know," Sakura recalled the afternoon (or would it be night?) that she had spent with the temperamental redhead. "Gaara is actually a pretty good person…"

The body in front of her turned rigid. "_What?_"

By the disbelief in Sasuke's voice, Sakura knew she had said the wrong thing.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

A loud slam of the door was heard, and the two people seated on the couch glanced up from their conversation.

"Oh? You've returned." Temari addressed her younger brother, arms extending out to catch the bag of soda cans he threw at her. "Where's that Haruno Sakura girl?"

"Humph," Kankuro sneered. "He probably scared her off."

Gaara was already turning away and ready to head out the door.

"Gaara!" Temari called after him. "…nothing happened, right?"

The redhead in question stopped in his tracks, and turned towards his siblings, eyes cold and face blank. "Her ride arrived."

The door closed with a resounding thud.

Temari glanced at Kankuro. "You think…?"

"Yeah. Something definitely happened."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Uchiha Mikoto stared worriedly at the two teenagers sitting on the dining table, one rapidly devouring his breakfast, while the other slowly consumed hers while seemingly stuck in her own little world of mental gloom.

Her husband was absent as he had an overseas conference meeting, and her eldest son had already left the house to go to classes. It was rare for the two juniors to have time to actually sit down and eat before walking off to school, but she had not expected that the one occasion time was actually available, for the room to be so…quiet.

_Another fight? _She wondered to herself, sneaking glances at the sulking girl and the tensely silent boy. _I wonder what my cute little Sasuke-kun did this time. _

Hopefully, matters would be solved soon.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura sat at her desk, staring out towards the window while Kakashi chatted away about formulas and equations (not that anyone else was really paying attention either.)

Naruto's seat, not too far away from hers, was empty, but no one questioned his sudden absence. All that really cared already had heard of the situation.

Sasuke was also somewhere in the room, and Sakura snuck a glance towards his way. He could just be so…stubborn at times! She had tried, really tried her best to reason with the Uchiha last night about the good personalities of Gaara, about how some of his characteristics weren't so bad. She should have expected it, but nevertheless, was angered when he had refused any such "nonsense" (as he put it) and in response, had marched up to her room. They still were not on speaking terms.

Sakura turned her face back to the window, letting her thoughts drift once more.

If Uchiha Sasuke would not talk, then she would do the same.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Lunch had been terrible.

The table had been filled with a gloomy silence, as no one seemed to be in much mood to talk since news of Naruto's hospitalization.

Ino had actually been abnormally quiet since yesterday, but even though she had expressed her worry over Naruto already, she was the only one that had acted a semblance of her normal self.

She had walked over and took Naruto's unoccupied seat and began talking, seemingly ignorant of everyone else's downcast mood, and Sakura had noticed (though it was not done intentionally) that most of the blonde's conversations seemed to be directed at the always silent raven-haired Uchiha. Her crush had seemed to intensify over the past few days.

Now, Sakura thought, as she descended down the steps of the school, thing would only become even worse. She had a job to go to, where Gaara would also be present.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Sakura, how're you feeling, un?" Deidara greeted her when she entered into the studio. He gave her a wink. "Have things been cleared with your partner?"

Sakura could only give a meek smile in reply. She didn't really know how to answer that question…

"You're finally here," Sasori appeared from behind another door. "Gaara's already inside, come."

The job turned out more interesting than Sakura had planned. She didn't know why it was considered Gaara and she were partners; they never actually had to do a piece together. He posed in his own shots, and so did she.

Deidara and Sasori weren't the average bosses, either. They argued over possibly everything-the clothing worn, the accessories needed, the way the camera was angled, even the lighting! Yet somehow, they still seemed to respect each other's opinions (more Deidara than Sasori) and always reached a compromise at the end of each spat.

Gaara really didn't have much expression, but they didn't seem to care much for that. Apparently, the "mysterious, stony, cold, I'm-going-to-kill-you" gaze was perfect for them.

It ended faster than what Sakura had anticipated.

She found herself outside the studio, her work done, staring at the ground.

She didn't want to go back to the Uchiha household, as Sasuke was probably there, and she was in no mood to talk just yet. A sudden idea appeared in her mind. She reached into her bag, and pulled out her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Naruto?"

The voice on the other line immediately perked up. "Sakura-chan?"

"Hey, how have you been doing?"

"They won't serve ramen," Sakura found herself amused at the blonde's anguished tone. "But besides that, everything's all good. Bet I'll get tons of makeup work when I get back though…"

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"Would it be alright if I came to visit right now?"

Now the voice really seemed elated. "Really? Sakura-chan would do that?"

A soft laugh. "Of course, Naruto."

"Sure sure!" she could picture him smiling. "Come right over!"

They said their goodbyes, and Sakura placed her phone back inside. Now if she could find a cab…

"Uzumaki Naruto…"

Jumping, she dropped her bag at the sudden voice behind her. Whirling around, she stared in surprise at the redhead leaning against the wall. Exactly how long had he been there?

"Is it Uzumaki Naruto?" he repeated once again.

"Y-yes," Sakura stammered, slowly coming out of her stupor.

"…and he's in the hospital?" He looked up and stared at her with that apathetic gaze of his.

"Y-Yes." Sakura wondered why he was suddenly so curious.

"…and you're going to visit him." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Y-yes."

He didn't reply at first, but only continued to stare. Sakura found that she was staring back, her feet rooted to the ground. Deep in her subconscious, she came to the revelation that Gaara was no longer as frightening as she first perceived, and most of her fear of him had actually vanished.

"Come with me."

It took her a good thirty seconds to register his words. "What?"

He pushed himself off the wall and without so much as a second glance towards her way, turned in the other direction and started walking away. "I'll give you a ride."

"Y-You have a car?"

He paused and turned back to look at her. "I didn't walk ten miles here. I will go see Uzumaki Naruto, also. If you do not want a ride, suit yourself."

Sakura stared after his retreating back. Was it really wise to get a ride with Gaara? Yes, she believed she knew him a little better now, and perhaps a small amount of trust had been established (he had 'saved' her, after all,) but he was still a vicious and violent person that lashed out at any given moment…

_I better not regret this._

She began running towards him, "Hey, wait for me!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**So, once again, sorry for the long wait. School has finally come to an end, however (and I will be moving on to high school next year) so expect quicker updates during the summer. **

**Also, the studio of Deidara and Sasori is in Konoha, so Sakura is actually able to walk from school to there. Gaara, on the other hand, who lives in Suna, needs a car, thus why he has one. **

**Please Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**By now, I'm sure everyone's tired of excuses so...**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura stepped out of the car, lightly shutting the door behind her as she gazed up at the building looming over her. This was where Naruto was.

She felt the presence of Gaara stepping up behind her, and she turned her head slightly to look up at him, "Ready?"

He responded with a grunt, before brushing past her to walk up the hospital steps. Sighing to herself, Sakura quickly bounded after him.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto was lying on his hospital bed, fingers fidgeting in excitement and eyes constantly straying over to the left, which his beloved Sakura would appear any moment!

He jolted up eagerly when the knob turned and his door slowly swung open.

"Naruto-kun?" the nurse stepped in, beaming and a clipboard held to her chest.

A pang of disappointment shot through the blonde. It wasn't Sakura.

"…you have visitors."

The woman stepped out of the way, and a figure stepped forward. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto's entire face lit up. She was here!

"How you feeling, Naruto?" Sakura smiled serenely at him, laughing at the goofy grin plastered on the blonde's face.

"I'm all fine now!" Naruto chirped, unconsciously placing his hand onto the back of his skull where he had been hit. "If they totally hadn't gotten me by surprise, I would've beaten those bastards up so bad."

He jutted his chest out proudly, and when the only thing he received was Sakura's skeptical gaze, all he could do was slouch back down and let out a sheepish laugh. Her smile dropped after a while though, and her eyes filled with guilt and remorse. "Naruto…I'm really sorry. If-if it hadn't been for me, they would've never ambushed you and—"

"Nonsense, Sakura-chan!" He cut her off. "This is no one's fault but whoever planned this, so stop blaming yourself." She stayed silent, and Naruto decided a change of topic was needed. "_So_…where's Sasuke-teme huh? Surely that guy's around here somewhere."

Much to his dismay, instead of her laughing and calling in the Uchiha like he had envisioned, her eyes only saddened even further, and she smiled bitterly towards his way, "I-Sasuke wasn't able to come with me today…" She trailed off, before seeming to shake herself back to reality, and she was chirpy once more. "_But_, I did bring someone else with me. He wanted to see you."

Naruto was confused. If not Sasuke, then who? Kiba? Lee? Neji? _Shino? _Sakura called out to someone, and the door swung forward.

The second visitor stepped in, and Naruto's eyes almost fell out of his sockets.

"_GAARA_!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The first thing his mother said to him when Uchiha Sasuke saw her was, "You should go apologize."

The raven-haired teen didn't know whether to gape in disbelief or scowl in anger. So instead, he opted to stare calmly (one could call it apathetically) at the equally reserved woman in front of him. "Excuse me?"

Uchiha Mikoto shook her head, "It's obvious you and Sakura have gotten into some sort of fight again, and I'm telling you to go make amends before things become too serious."

"And what makes you think I'm at fault?" There was tinge of annoyance in his voice.

His mother didn't even waver. "Because, you are my son, and I know you better than anyone else. You're a very prideful boy, and sometimes that makes you become so stubborn that it blinds you in seeing any sort of logic or reason thrown your way. Now Sakura is a very wonderful girl, and I'm sure whatever you two are arguing about this time is probably a petty matter sprouted over a difference of views. So I can bet that knowing your personalities, she was the one trying to persuade you of something and you were the one unable to budge because of whatever reasons. Therefore, I'm telling _you _to go apologize, understand?"

Sasuke stared exasperatedly at his mother. What the hell was wrong with women (mothers especially) and long lectures? Honestly, men just didn't have the patience to hear them out if they were going to jibe on for _that _long. Damn this woman, who was currently staring up expectedly at him (_was that smugness he saw in her face?) _

"Like hell it's my fault," he finally snapped, before turning on his heel and briskly walking (once again, Uchihas _never_ stormed) up the stairs. A few moments later, there was a large thud, indicating that a door had been slammed shut.

Mikoto remained where she was, staring after her son. Smiling to herself, she turned and headed towards the kitchen, where food was waiting to be prepared.

_He's such a sweetheart. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You MORONS!"

The two said morons cringed as the shriek reached their ears.

"Hey, Ami-san," one of them tried to explain. "It wasn't really our fault—"

"Wasn't your fault?! WASN'T YOUR FAULT?!" the girl grabbed them by the collar. "You go get drunk, and then attempt to scare her, only to end up running away when some random stranger shows up!"

"You don't know Sabaku no Gaara, Ami-san." The guys shivered. "He's a monster."

"I don't care who the hell showed up," she snarled. "But I paid you do to such a simple task, and you couldn't even get it done!"

"So…you want us to try again?"

"Of course not," she snapped back. "Brainless idiots like you can't get anything done. I'm going to take care of it myself."

The men exchanged glances. "How are you going to do that?"

"Don't worry about that," Ami grinned. "I'll do it tomorrow after school."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Hey, Neji, I've been thinking about something."

Tenten and Neji were currently seated on a park bench, watching a laughing Lee several yards away playing with a group of giggling kids. The girl watched her companion nod his head in acknowledgment, which meant he was listening and she could continue.

"Who do you think let out about Sasuke and Sakura?"

The Hyuuga regarded her silently. After a moment's pause, he spoke, "Is it not obvious?"

Tenten bowed her head. "Well, I know…but what happened to the benefit of the doubt?"

"Only those who were truly moronic would seriously believe in giving the benefit of the doubt, as you put it, in this incident."

"But she's Sakura's friend—!"

"But she also is attracted towards that Uchiha. Face it, Tenten, everyone knows it was Ino who told, only no one speaks it. The only person I can imagine that would be blind to such a thing would be that Sakura girl, because they are _friends _supposedly."

Tenten sighed, before leaning back in her seat. "Wow, I would feel pity for that Sasuke, always surrounded by so much drama and whatnot."

Neji glanced towards her, "I would say it's that girl who's causing all the trouble. Ever since she's arrived, things have grown much more disastrous."

Tenten smiled. "Perhaps, but you can't blame her for where she lives. Besides, I like her, I think she confuses our Sasuke, you know? It'd be a nice change if there was someone who could shake him up a little."

Neji smirked and leaned back also. "That I agree."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Though Naruto had first been shocked at Gaara's unannounced arrival, he overcame his surprise fast, and after Gaara 'apologized' for bruising Sakura several days earlier (said apology actually came out only as a grunt,) Naruto had happily welcomed the redhead.

After, Sakura had caught Naruto up on everything he had missed so far, and the homework he would most likely receive when he returned, and the two had continued to joke and laugh. But now, by Naruto's tone, it seemed that the mood of the conversation was going to change.

"I want to know," Naruto and Gaara stared at each other, "why Orochimaru was at Suna the other day."

"My father is the principal of the school. Orochimaru is a very influential entrepreneur. It is only natural that they would ally themselves."

"Since when is it natural for school principals to come in contact with conniving cheating bastards like Orochimaru?!"

The redhead ignored the blonde's increasing volume. "Do not try to interfere in matter that do not involve you."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "You saw the way that snake looked at Sasuke that day. I am _not_ going to let a repeat of three years ago happen again! So don't you—"

"Um…Excuse me."

Naruto stopped mid-sentence and both he and Gaara turned their heads towards the other person in the room.

"I realize this may not be my business," Sakura stared at the two boys. "But would someone please tell me what the heck happened as Naruto said, three years ago?"

Gaara stared, grunted, and then looked away. "It is none of your concern."

Naruto, however, faltered, as he looked between Sakura and Gaara. "Sakura…I think Gaara's right."

"Everyone's keeping me in the dark!" Sakura felt her frustration rising. "Who is Orochimaru? Why does everyone despise him? How is he connected to Sasuke? What exactly happened in the past?"

The room was silent. After what seemed an eternity, Naruto' resolve finally collapsed, and heaving a huge sigh, he slumped back into his bed. "Fine, I'll tell you."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**It's short, I realize. But it seemed like a nice place to cut off. Till next time.**

** Please Review!  
**


	23. Chapter 23

**She's alive!**

**I've gotten all the reviews and the pms asking if I'm alive and asking for the updates, and I've felt horrible every time I've read one of the messages, knowing I was disappointing. By now, this is probably the millionth time I've apologized and it really doesn't hold much value anymore. But nevertheless. I'm Sorry!!!**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto lay on his hospital bed, hands fidgeting with one another, unsure of how to begin the tale. Not far away, Gaara leaned against the wall, clearly in disapproval of revealing anything.

After what seemed a long silence, Naruto finally began speaking, "There's only one person that Sasuke wishes to surpass."

"Itachi," Sakura answered, recalling how the younger Uchiha had made it clear on her second day of his hate for his brother.

"Itachi, while at Konoha, was at the top of his classes for all four years. When people say he received full marks, it wasn't even an exaggeration. That guy had straight 100 averages in everything."

"That frustrated-frustrates Sasuke-kun, doesn't it?" Sakura had always known Itachi was a prodigy, but to this degree…she had never imagined! "So even if Sasuke could match Itachi, he could never beat his brother."

"Exactly, but if not in grades, what could Sasuke possibly surpass Itachi in?"

"I don't—" If Itachi received full marks, could Sasuke best him in anything?

"Sports," everyone's heads snapped towards Gaara, who had been silent up until that point, "He realized that he could beat Itachi in sports."

_Of course!_ Sakura nodded in comprehension. There were no grades in athletics, just records…records that could be broken.

"But you know, that idiot—"

"Hey, don't call Sasuke an idiot—!"

"He_was_ an idiot, doing what he did back then." Gaara cut off the protesting blonde. "All the surrounding towns, including Suna, knew of Uchiha Itachi. That man was a legend and beating his records were definitely not simple tasks. Even now, Sasuke hasn't caught up to his brother yet. All the teams Uchiha Sasuke is currently on right now? Those were the teams his brother joined."

"We were graduating junior high; Itachi was moving on to college," Naruto sighed. "Sasuke hadn't managed to beat any of his brother's grades or records during those three years, and at that point, he was beyond frustrated. You wouldn't have wanted to know Sasuke at that time, Sakura-chan. All he thought about was how he could possibly beat his brother."

"That's when Orochimaru came in, right?" the pink-haired girl unconsciously clutched the fabric of her shirt.

"Orochimaru was always interested in the Uchiha family," Gaara took over. "Itachi was unaffected by any of his advances. So of course, who better to target than the jealous little brother?"

"That bastard filled Sasuke's head with thoughts of exceeding Itachi, using illegal ways!" Naruto was practically snarling. "It went to the point that Sasuke wouldn't even listen to our pleas! He told us that nothing would hinder him from surpassing Itachi and that if we didn't approve of his ways, then we could stop talking to him altogether."

Sakura shuddered. _Sasuke-kun…_

"My father was in connection with Orochimaru," Gaara scowled. "I often saw Uchiha Sasuke in my father's office, talking with my bastard father and that snake. Orochimaru may be a successful businessman, but he runs underground operations. Three years ago, he was developing a new type of enhancement drug…and Uchiha Sasuke was the perfect guinea pig."

"Sasuke-kun didn't take it did he…!" Sakura was horrified.

Naruto shook his head. "No, we stopped him. Kakashi was aware of what had been happening; we knew him before we entered high school, and we followed Sasuke on the day he was first going to try the drug. We…to put it bluntly, used force and kidnapped him back to Kakashi's place, and wouldn't let him leave until some sense was knocked into his head. Kakashi told Sasuke that if he took that drug, the school would immediately be informed, and then Sasuke wouldn't be allowed on any team at all. That finally stopped him."

Sakura found herself letting out of sigh of relief. Sasuke certainly seemed troubled at times, but she never realized just how much turmoil was inside him. She had always believed that Sasuke's need to beat his brother was just some sort of sibling rivalry. Now she understood it was more than that. It was a dangerous obsession, one that would continue gnawing on him until he was destroyed.

"So why is Orochimaru re-emerging after so long?" Naruto was staring at Gaara.

"I don't know," the redhead muttered, "My father does not trust me. That man locks himself with Orochimaru in his office for hours."

"Damn it…there must be something—" Naruto made a sound of frustration.

He was cut off by the sudden sound of a chair scraping back, and both he and Gaara turned towards the sound to see that Sakura had stood up. She looked over at Gaara, "I—I need to see Sasuke-kun. Could you drive me back?" She turned and gave Naruto a hug. "You'll be out of here in no time. I'll see you, Naruto."

Gaara and Naruto gave each other a sideways glance. What had overcome the girl before them? Nevertheless, Gaara shrugged and followed her out, Naruto waving goodbye behind them.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The moment Gaara pulled the car to a stop, Sakura jumped off, thanking Gaara for the ride while running up the steps into the house.

She found Sasuke's mother in the kitchen, humming along to an unknown tune. She smiled when Sakura entered.

"Is Sasuke-kun home?"

"He's brooding in his room," Mikoto gave the girl a wink. "Go cheer him up will you?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Uchiha Sasuke was lying on his bed, attempting to fall asleep when the door to his room suddenly burst open. He jumped off the mattress and glared towards whoever had just walked in. He didn't expect to see a certain pink-haired girl standing in his doorway.

"Sasuke-kun…" she whispered, looking on the verge of tears.

This set him off a bit. Sure, they were arguing, but she couldn't be so upset to start bawling on him, would she?

"Is there something you want?" he turned away from her to busy himself with rearranging papers on his desk.

Sudden arms wrapped around him, and Sasuke immediately tensed. "What are you doing…"

"Hugging you," was the mumbled reply.

"Yes, I know," annoyance was creeping into his tone. "Why are you suddenly clinging onto me?"

She tightened her hold. "I…don't know. I just wanted to…"

He reached down to pry her hands of his stomach, but she spoke before he could.

"You know you'll always have friends, right Sasuke-kun? We'll always be here for you."

"What are you talking about…"

"Kiba, Neji, Lee, Tenten…all of us will always help you if you need us."

"…"

"So you're not alone in this at all. We'll all support you and please don't ever think you'll need to isolate yourself from us."

Sasuke turned his head to glance down at her. The girl really wasn't making much sense. Had something happened to her? Perhaps she had hit her head or fallen down a flight of stairs.

He felt her let go, and slowly, she stepped back, and finally allowed him free movement once more. He turned to look at her, and found a reddening Haruno Sakura standing there. Apparently, she had snapped out of whatever mood she was just in, and was currently coming to terms with exactly what she had just done.

"Uh…yeah," she gave off a nervous laugh, "I can't really explain why I just did that. Call it impulse?" When he didn't respond, but only continued staring at her, she laughed again, feeling her confidence decreasing by the second. _Fix the situation, quickly!_ "But, I guess this means we're talking again? If you really think about it, we fought over such a silly matter anyways…"

"Hn…"

"But you know, Sasuke-kun, Gaara really isn't a bad guy at all."

"…"

"Sasuke-kun?"

"…Get out."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**And the situation is explained! I'm sorry if people were expecting something much more dramatic since I sort of built up on it. But it's high school, and I really didn't want to write anything too unrealistic such as big guns or smuggling or anything of the sort. Enhancement drugs seemed like the right route to take.**

** Please Review! **


	24. Chapter 24

Uchiha Sasuke was one who liked to spend his mornings before school alone in the confines of his room. With the quiet surrounding him, he was able to focus. Unfortunately, ever since a certain girl had joined the household, these daily procedures had come to a halt. She usually ruined it with a loud knock on the door, followed by her greeting of 'Good Morning, Sasuke-kun!'

Today in particular, she must have been especially keen on disrupting his morning peace, as she burst into his room with a look of absolute glee upon her face. "Sasuke-kun, it's today!"

He didn't even bother to look in her direction. "You're bothering me."

"Oh come on Sasuke, Naruto's finally coming back! Aren't you excited to see him?"

"No."

Sakura frowned at the reply, "Why must you always be so apathetic. I mean, he's your best friend!"

"Hn."

She waited for him to say more, but when it was apparent he wasn't going to utter another word until breakfast, she sighed to herself, and gave up on the idea of any further conversation.

Sasuke heard her leave the room. Not a second later, he heard a mutter that sounded very close to 'stupid grump' from the other side of the door. The boy could only be amused at her childish remark.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When they arrived at school together, no one but a few fangirls and admirers gave Sakura strange glances or jealous glares. It seemed the shock of Haruno Sakura living with Uchiha Sasuke had finally passed.

"Naruto!" Sakura ran towards the blonde the moment she saw him.

"Sakura-chan!" he enveloped her in a hug.

"How's the head?"

"Back to normal," He flashed her a grin and then looked at the silent Uchiha behind her. He spread out his arms for the boy. "Hey teme, aren't you going to give me a hug too? I mean, I know you must've been worried sick when you heard about me. I can only imagine how much you've been missing me these past few—"

"Say one more word and you're going to wake up back in that hospital."

Naruto's grin slowly faded, and he withdrew his arms. He turned towards Sakura and grumbled, "Geez, can't a guy even joke around these days?"

Sakura laughed and was about to reply when a new voice entered their conversation.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

They all turned towards the source, and Naruto's grin quickly returned. "Hinata! What are you doing here? I mean, I'm pretty sure you're not in our homeroom…unless that hit on the head caused more damage than I thought it did…"

Sakura elbowed him. "Naruto, stop rambling."

"I just wanted to see if you were feeling better," the Hyuuga girl was blushing to the roots of her hair, and Sakura could only smile at the girl's genuine worry for the person she liked.

"Come on Sasuke-kun," she gently tugged on the boy's arm. "Let's leave them be and go find the others to tell them Naruto's back."

_Keep going, Hinata. One day he'll realize just how much you mean to him._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Haruno Sakura?"

Sakura looked up from her locker to see who had called her. A girl stood there, probably her age or older. She had violet hair down to her chin, with one side cut shorter than the other. "Um…do I know you?"

"No," the girl gave her a smile and extended her hand. "I'm Ami."

Sakura grasped it, "Did you need something?"

"Oh, I was sent by Kakashi-sensei. He said he needed to see you about an urgent matter."

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura furrowed her brow. What did he need to tell her that was so urgent? Couldn't he just tell her tomorrow in homeroom? "Alright, I guess. Where can I find him?"

Ami released Sakura's hand, and her smile only brightened. "Follow me!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura found herself being led up to the second floor. Students around were heading out, eager to finally escape after a long day of school. She, on the other hand, only found herself being led deeper and deeper into the building.

Finally, Ami stopped. "He's right inside!" chirped the girl.

Sakura didn't think she'd ever been in this part of the school. She glanced around, and wandered why Kakashi couldn't find a more populated area to discuss matters. This hallway looked as though it hadn't been touched in ages! She pushed open the door to the classroom, stepped inside, and a look of confusion donned her face. She turned back to Ami, about to comment that nobody was in the classroom, but her mind registered what was going on before she opened her mouth. _This is a trap._

Sure enough, Ami's once cheerful grin had now morphed into a smirk. "Well, I've finally got you alone Haruno Sakura." Her voice was filled with contempt.

"What's going on?" Sakura demanded.

"I just want to have a little talk."

"What have I ever done to you?"

Ami glared at her and spat, "I've pined after Uchiha Sasuke since I was in elementary school. You hear me? Elementary school! I've been in over ten of his classes. Know how many times he's talked to me? Once, and it was asking me to move out of his way. And all of a sudden, some stupid little girl comes in and earns his trust just like that? That's not fair now is it? I hired those two to give you a warning but obviously they weren't competent enough to get the job done properly."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Those two?! Don't tell me you're the one that sent those thugs that night! Do you have any idea what you've done? They sent Naruto to the hospital!"

Ami brushed off the comment. "Oh, you mean that imbecile that constantly surrounds Sasuke? Well, it doesn't matter, it's not like any brain damage could possibly make him dumber than he already is. As long as he's not dead right?"

Sakura trembled in anger. How dare this girl make fun of Naruto? He had nothing to do with this, and yet he had had to suffer all because of a petty grudge. Unable to contain her rage, she unconsciously closed her fingers and—

Ami blinked in surprise. She felt the fist connect with her cheek, and staggered back, gasping from the pain that shot through her face a split second later. "You crazy bitch!" she howled. "You punched me! You punched my face! Oh my god! My face!"

"I-I didn't mean to punch you," Sakura stared wide eyed at the hysterical girl. But then again, what was she saying? Of course she had meant to punch Ami; it was what the girl deserved. But why couldn't she have just resisted her urge? Why did she have such a bad temper? This was going to cause all sorts of problems.

"You crazy bitch!" Ami was still shrieking, clutching her cheek in pain. "You're so dead! I'm going to kill you!"

Sakura went towards her, trying to calm down the girl, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Ami reach into her pocket. There was a glint, and warning bells immediately started blaring in Sakura's head. _Is that a knife?!_

Ami stepped forward, and Sakura stepped back. _She's insane. Why do I always land myself in these situations?_

"Ami, stop!"

"You're so dead!"

"You need to calm down!"

A new voice, "Ami."

Sakura looked towards the door, "Ino?!"

The violet-haired girl seemed equally surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Someone told me they saw you and Sakura headed towards here. Obviously, I'd wander what you'd be up to in a place that hasn't been used for a decade," Ino's eyes drifted towards the hand located in the pocket. "You better get out of here, Ami. I've already told someone to go tell a teacher, and they'll be here soon enough. To pick on Sakura because of a crush must be the dumbest reason I've heard in a long while."

"Well, Ino," Ami glared at the blonde, but was indeed heading towards the door, "Aren't you the hypocritical one?"

"Ami, don't—"

"Seeing that you're the one who told everyone Haruno Sakura lived with Uchiha Sasuke." Ami pushed past the girl, and quickly ran off.

Ino watched her go. Awkward silence followed.

"Is it true, Ino?" Finally, Sakura spoke up and tried to meet her best friend's eyes, but the girl refused to look towards her.

"Come on, Sakura, we don't want to be here either when the teacher comes."

"Answer me Ino. Did you tell?"

"…"

Sakura shook her head in disbelief. "Why? You knew that it would only cause trouble. I invited you over that day because I thought I could trust you. I thought we were friends! Why, Ino?!"

Ino shrugged. "Oh please Sakura, we all know why. I'm president of Sasuke's fan club for a reason, you know."

"…What? You betrayed me. Look at where it's lead. Naruto got injured; I was ambushed by thugs, this Ami girl—"

Ino cut her off, "I feel bad okay? Are you happy? I feel guilty and horrible about it all. But…I've liked Sasuke for a long time," she looked at Sakura, "much longer than you."

"W-What are you saying? I don't—"

"Anyone can tell that you do like him," Ino scoffed, "Just drop the innocent act."

"All this for a guy, Ino? We were best friends!"

"Sakura," Ino turned away, "Times change. I'm not going to let another girl ruin my dreams."

She walked out of the room.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura sat on her that night, running the afternoon's scene over and over again in her head.

_Anyone can tell that you do like him. Just drop the innocent act…I'm not going to let another girl ruin my dreams._

Sakura hugged her pillow. Did she? Did she really like Uchiha Sasuke? She had never really thought about the topic of liking the boy, but now it had been mentioned, she just couldn't seem to get her mind off it. It was true that she thought—knew—that he was handsome, but admiring one's looks was completely different from actually falling for the person.

Uchiha Sasuke was cold, unfeeling, apathetic, and completely obsessed towards exceeding his older brother. Those definitely weren't the qualities a girl would normally look for in a guy.

But at the same time, he was kind in his own way, and even if he never admitted it, he did earnestly care for the people around him. The little things he did always seemed to make her heart flutter…

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

"Dinner's ready." As if on cue, Sasuke walked into the room, but stopped when he noticed her on the bed. "What are you doing? You look like a mess."

"Sasuke…" Sakura looked up at him, "If you and Naruto ever got into a fight over a girl—"

"I have no time for girls."

"Sasuke, this is only _hypothetically_ speaking okay? What would you do?"

"Beat him up."

"_Sasuke._"

"How would I know?" he grumbled finally. "Why are you even asking this?"

Sakura didn't reply.

He scowled, and picked up a stuffed animal on the floor. He threw it at her, and hit her square on the forehead. "Stop sulking, it's annoying."

"Ow Sasuke, that actually hurt—"

"We can go buy ice cream if you hurry up and finish dinner," he muttered.

"W-What? What am I? Your seven year old little daughter?"

The door slamming shut was her reply. Sakura stared the shut door, and a small smile formed on her lips. Unknowingly, her mood had improved.

Yeah, it was definitely the little things that he did.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Ino, we need to talk."

It was the next morning, and the blonde had just closed her locker and was ready to head to homeroom when she was cut off. "What do you want Sakura? Look, I already said everything yesterday, and you know it's true. If you're just here to deny—"

"You're right."

"…Wait, what?"

"You're right, Ino. I do like Uchiha Sasuke."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Not much I can really say about this chapter. Hope it was long enough...haha.**

**Please Review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**So there is one issue I want to address. I understand that I am a slow updater. There is nothing I can do about that. I do not mind people who leave messages such as "update soon!" or even jokingly threaten me if I do not update. I have absolutely no problem with that. I see that as encouragement and it only pushes me to try and update faster. However, when I receive messages like "what the hell is wrong with you? why aren't you updating??" or "geez, this story sucks! it never updates!" it irks me to no end. Please understand that I have other priorities in life that are much more important to me than this story, as much as that may upset some people. ****If you do not like this story, or can't stand my slow updating, please do not bother to continue reading it. ****Thank you. **

**On another note, school is finally over, my finals are done. I'm sure many of you are just as eager as I am to enjoy this summer. Can you believe in just about another month, this story will be 2 years old? Wow, definitely shows just how fast time can fly by. **

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"So, I'm guessing you two are no longer friends."

"Tenten?" Sakura watched as the girl plopped down into the seat next to hers. "What are you talking about?"

The senior rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Sakura, everyone could practically feel the tension melting off the both of you in that cafeteria today. I figured it'd be soon until she let out about what she did to you."

"You knew?"

"Sakura, we all knew. That girl's been madly in love with Uchiha Sasuke since god knows how long."

Sakura sighed. "I do feel kind of bad, you know? When you really think about it, I _am _the intruder who suddenly came out of nowhere. Why is it that I get to become friends with him, while all these girls who've adored him much longer never had the opportunity?"

Tenten scoffed. "Sakura, half those girls don't know anything about him. They just go for the looks, when they've never even spoken a word to him. If they really were to know the guy, I doubt they could keep up. Besides, even if it's true that you had an advantage by living with him, that doesn't mean you haven't worked hard…so to speak. If he can't stand you, Sasuke's not going to tolerate you no matter how close you lived next to him." Tenten winked. "There has to be some quality about you that he likes."

"But still…"

"Look, cheer up Sakura. I mean, Ino's already pretty lucky herself. At least he knows what she looks like. I honestly don't see how you could possibly be all concerned over your friendship with Ino. If that girl did to me what she did to you, I'd be out for her throat rather than what you're doing right now. And if it makes you feel any better, I'll let you in on a little secret."

"…?"

The older girl made the motion of looking around for eavesdroppers, before she continued. "What I think is that Ino doesn't really like Sasuke. I mean, she does, but I doubt it's truly serious. If Sasuke were to someday miraculously proclaim his love for her, I doubt she'd jump for joy. It's one of those things where she's idolized him for so long that everything's become habitual and she's just keeping up the act for her pride and ego. Get it? Despite her actions, I'd like to believe that Ino isn't as shallow as she pretends to be, and she would know the difference between superficial adoration and truly liking a person…" She paused. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Sakura couldn't stop the sly smile from sliding onto her face. "Well I was just thinking, Tenten, you sound like you're talking from experience."

"Oh shut up!" Tenten reddened, and glared at the giggling girl next to her. Two could play at this game. "I thought this conversation was about you, Sakura. Don't go changing the topic so suddenly. Anyways, what I really came here to ask you was…When exactly _are_ you planning to seduce that scrumptious little Sasuke?"

"Tenten!" It was Sakura's turn to redden.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Can you believe that girl? I mean, who does she think she is? What does she mean _she_ likes Uchiha Sasuke? _She_ likes Uchiha Sasuke?!"

Nara Shikamaru sighed to himself, and made a mental note to buy earplugs for situations like these the chance he got to. "Ino, you've been screeching for the past ten minutes."

"It's not my fault," the blonde let out a frustrated moan. "I mean, it's ridiculous! If I'd known that opening my mouth would prompt that stupid girl to reach a revelation about who she liked, I would've kept it closed!"

"It'd be great if it was closed right now—"

"She knew who I liked since day one! Still, she goes and does something like this! Did our friendship mean nothing? And you know what? She's real sneaky, that one. Just _popped_ out of nowhere, _poof_! All of a sudden, she's advancing on my Sasuke-kun. _My_ Sasuke-kun! Ugh….I'm never talking to her again!"

Once again, Shikamaru sighed to himself. He got up from his seat, and headed for the door.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going? I'm not done yet."

"I'm leaving," came his nonchalant reply. "Besides, I don't see why I should bother to listen to your ranting when it's clear you and that Sakura girl are still friends."

"_WHAT_?!"

"Knowing your personality, you and her will be talking by tomorrow. Close the lights after you leave or else I'll be scolded…Geez, how troublesome."

Ino fumed as she watched him walk away without a break in his stride. She let out a shriek of frustration and crossed her arms. "Tsk…that Shikamaru."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura sat on the living room couch, lost in her own thoughts. Ino and she had been best friends for seemingly forever. The blonde had always been the stronger one, the prettier one, the more confident one. Despite Tenten's reassurances earlier, why would someone like Uchiha Sasuke ever choose a scrawny, weak, little girl like her with the wide forehead? It seemed her only advantage was her intelligence, but it wasn't like Ino didn't also excel in her studies. When you compared the both of them, there just seemed to be no way that Ino wouldn't win.

The front door clicked open, and Sakura was jarred out of her worries. She looked to see who had just entered, and blinked in surprise when she saw who it was, "Itachi-san?"

He gave her a nod in greeting, "Hello."

This was certainly unexpected. How long had it been since she'd last seen this man? Really, it was quite strange that she barely caught a glimpse of him even though they lived in the same house. "You've been busy pretty lately huh?"

Something strange crossed over the Uchiha's face, but after a moment, he nodded again. "Hn…"

Sakura couldn't help it. She let out a laugh and shook her head amusedly, "I can see who Sasuke copies his one-worded answers off of. You two are very similar."

"If you told that to my little brother, I'm sure he'd vehemently deny that."

Sakura shook her head once more, "He only acts like he hates you. Perhaps it's admiration? Why else would he want to surpass you so much? Though I will say it's unhealthy, the way he obsesses over you. You shouldn't encourage him."

"I've never encouraged him. His eagerness to exceed me is all caused by himself."

"Even so, you've never tried to stop him either."

"This obsession, as you call it, gives him the drive to perform to the best of his abilities. It unleashes his true potential. We do not hate each other," Sakura watched a semblance of a smirk appeared on the man's otherwise impassive face, "but a little competition never hurt."

His words struck a chord in Sakura. _We do not hate each other, but a little competition never hurt._

"Sakura?" Sasuke had just stepped into the house when he caught the two of them talking. He glared at his brother when the older man turned around to face him. "What were you two doing?"

Itachi ignored the younger Uchiha's question, and merely brushed past him. "I'll leave her to you."

Sasuke watched his brother ascend the stairs until he was finally out of sight. He immediately whipped around to Sakura, who was watching him curiously from her position on the couch.

"Welcome home, Sasuke-kun." She said almost cheerily, despite the boy's obviously dour mood.

"What was he saying to you?" Sasuke growled, growing more and more aggravated by the second. "Why were you even talking to him?"

"It was nothing," Sakura got up, clearly not affected by the waves of irritation pouring off the boy standing in the doorway. Unknowingly, Itachi had just helped her reach her own conclusions.

"Sakura, tell me what you two were—"

"You know what, Sasuke-kun? I've decided I'm going to fight!"

Once again, Sasuke found himself being left with no answer as she practically skipped up the stairs. He had no idea why she was suddenly so happy, nor did he have any idea what her words just now possibly meant. He let out a sigh, "Strange girl…"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The next day at school, Sakura had just arrived at her locker.

"Yo, Haruno Sakura!"

She glanced up in surprise and looked to her right to see Ino standing there. "Ino?"

Ino let out a huff, "I just came to let you know that I'm not going to let the likes of you steal Sasuke-kun away from me." She pointed a finger at the pink-haired girl. "You got that, Sakura?! We're rivals from now on!"

_Ino..._

Sakura smiled. "Yeah, I got that."

_Thank you._

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU SMILING FOR, FOREHEAD GIRL?"

…

"INO-PIG!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**I really really really like Itachi. Haha.**

**Hopefully, the next update will come sooner now that summer has arrived.**

**Please review!**


	26. Chapter 26

The moment Sakura stepped into the classroom, she found herself nearly being tackled to the ground by a very distressed Naruto.

"Sakura-chan!" The blonde cried, looking as though he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. "I'm going to die!"

Sakura frowned. It wasn't everyday that Naruto would be so upset. Something dire must have happened. Was it a fight? …Or perhaps shortage of ramen?

"It's today! OH, WHY TODAY?!"

Sasuke, who had been behind Sakura, stepped into the room. He paused when he saw the scene in front of him, but merely rolled his eyes and continued to walk to his seat as though he had witnessed nothing.

_Thanks a lot, Sasuke-kun. _Sakura glared in his direction, but if he saw it, he made no move to acknowledge it. She refocused her attention on the blonde, "Naruto, calm down. I'm sure that whatever's bothering you is something that can be solved."

"_SOLVED?!_" If possible, he seemed even more troubled at her words. "Report cards are coming back today! How am I going to solve the grades that are going to be showing up on that stupid piece of paper! Sakura-chan, I'm doomed! Really really—"

"…Report cards?"

Naruto blinked. "Yeah, report cards."

A muscle twitched in her jaw. _This _was what he was spazzing out about? Sakura grabbed his hands and wrenched it off her shoulders. "Get off me."

The blonde retreated quickly at her tone, but continued to whine, "You were sympathizing with me before!"

Sakura sighed. "Yes, because I thought that you were actually upset at something worth being upset about. The grades you get are basically earned by yourself."

"That's not true!" Naruto immediately protested. "My teachers grade unfairly!"

Sakura laughed at the excuse, "We have most of the same teachers."

"Like Kakashi, that perverted bastard, he grades likes a madman. All he ever does is assign us huge amounts of assignments, and while we're slaving away at them, he snatches out that handy dandy porn book of his. I mean, can he blame me for failing all his tests? He's better off with sex ed. than math and god, why is he always late? The excuses he gives are ridiculous. This is so not fair! How am I supposed to be the number one in class if people like him exist?!"

"Why Naruto-kun," a sudden hand came down on his shoulder, "how awfully kind of you to let me know how you_ really_ feel about me. I mean, I knew you thought I was hard, but hearing that you detest my existence? I'm hurt."

All color drained out of blonde's face. He whirled around and could only gawk at the smiling teacher standing behind him. "You're—You're _EARLY_!"

Kakashi sighed. "Well, I had to go pick up the report cards. That nasty old Tsunade threatened to confiscate Icha Icha Tactics, or as you call it the 'handy dandy porn book,' if I didn't come on time." He slapped his knee as though it were the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. "As if she could confiscate from a teacher! Hah!"

They grew silent, and Sakura watched as the two exchanged a look that could only be described as a type of 'Tsunade-could-kick-our-asses-so-we-should-never-annoy-her' fear.

Kakashi cleared his throat, and refocused on what Naruto had been saying. "So I grade too hard huh?"

Naruto crossed his arms, "Of course! I mean I'm doing the worst in your class! Okay…your class and Ibiki's…and Gai's…and Asuma's…and Kurenai's…but that's not the point!"

Kakashi pointed at Sakura. "She's in your class and she's getting wonderful scores."

Naruto pouted, "That's…! That's…! That's because you're a pervert and you go easy on the girls!"

Sakura glared at him. He really must have wanted to die.

Kakashi barely reacted to the boy's comment. He whipped out his precious Icha Icha Tactics, and signaled towards the Uchiha sitting across the room. "Sasuke-kun is at the top of his class."

Naruto faltered for a moment, but a smirk soon found its way onto his face. Sakura knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth. She could only pray the aftermath wouldn't be too bloody. "Well, that must mean Sasuke's a—"

The textbook flew across the room so fast that Naruto didn't even have time to duck. It hit the mark and Naruto clutched his face in agony. "Sasuke-teme! That was my cheek!"

"Next time it'll be your eye."

"SASUKE!!"

Kakashi and Sakura both watched Naruto charge towards the Uchiha as they started in their bickering. Kakashi laughed, "My cute students are so feisty these days."

Sakura shook her head. Did this guy even qualify to be a teacher? Teachers usually broke up the fights. Instead, this one was watching on as though he were at a circus. She looked at Sasuke and Naruto, who were currently locked in a heated glaring contest. It had been a month since that entire Ami fiasco, and quite frankly, she was glad that things had finally seemed to start settling down. If things continued this way, it seemed she'd actually be able to have a normal school year.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura peered over Sasuke's shoulder as he shifted through the contents of his book bag.

He scowled at her to show that she was bothering him, but she only responded with a sheepish laugh.

"What do you want?"

"Your report card, of course!" She smiled, but when he only continued to stare at her, she pulled out her own grades and held up it up as though it were a peace offering. "I brought mine. I thought we could compare."

The boy's scowl deepened. He turned away from her, hoping that his blatant unresponsiveness would give her the hint that he wanted her out of his room.

Sakura grimaced. Obviously, the boy wasn't too big on sharing. "Oh come on, it's not like you have anything to be embarrassed about, being the genius you are. Don't tell me you're not even a little curious about my grades."

"I'm not."

The girl caught a glimpse of the yellowish slip of paper peeking out between the books in his bag. With a grin, she reached out past him and grabbed it. He glared at her, but made no move to take it back. "Are you going to leave now?"

"In a minute," Sakura answered, eyes scanning over the grades. Her eyes widened, and she looked at him in disbelief. "I thought my grades were good, but wow. Hey, how'd you manage to get full marks in Ibiki's class? That guy's a beast."

"Morino Ibiki? Oh, he's a dear."

They both turned towards the doorway, where Uchiha Mikoto stood. Somehow, she had entered without either of them noticing. She walked over to Sakura and looked at both the report cards in her hands. She smiled up at the girl, "Good job, Sakura."

Sakura reddened and laughed. "Sasuke got better grades than me."

Mikoto looked at the boy in question, "Well, that's expected. My son does nothing but study. I mean, when was the last time I've seen him bring friends into the house?" She sighed. "I'm so glad you're here to make things lively, Sakura."

Sakura coughed to stifle her laugh, but couldn't help but let out a giggle at the glower on said son's face.

He snatched the paper from Sakura's hands and pointed at the door. "Out. Both of you."

Mikoto laughed. "I think it's best we leave."

Once they were outside, Sakura glanced back at the closed door. "You don't think we annoyed him too much, do you?"

The woman sighed. "Don't worry about it. Sasuke-kun is always in a foul mood when report cards come home."

She glanced at the woman questioningly, "Why? I mean, shouldn't he be happy with his full marks? I'm sure you're elated as well."

Mikoto shook her head, "As his mother, of course I'm elated. But Sasuke wants his father's praise."

"His father isn't happy with him?"

"He has difficulty expressing how he feels, but rest assured, my husband is definitely happy with him. Sasuke used to be disappointed when he was younger, but he's pretty much gotten used to it by now. There's no need to worry."

"Alright…"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"So as you see, that's how orchiectomy is performed."

Sakura cringed. "That sounds so painful. I can't even imagine having that kind of surgery."

Tsunade sighed at the student. "If you wish to excel in the medical field, you need to be prepared for anything. There are many people in the world who may not think the same as you do, but you have to respect their wishes anyway."

"I know," Sakura said embarrassedly. "I'm sorry for sounding squeamish."

"You _are _planning to become a doctor, right?" The principal took the book they had been discussing and placed it back on the shelf.

"Of course," Sakura nodded. "I've wanted to be one since the time I first saw my father tending to one of his patients."

Tsunade handed her a sheet of paper. "This local hospital's looking for a few interns. You could do with some hands-on activity instead of reading books all day. You're a very bright girl, so I have no doubt that you'd excel in your studies. But you should also go check out the work environment when you get the chance. As for med school, Konoha's University has a very good program. You should aim for that school if you plan to stay in the city."

Sakura smiled, "Thank you, Tsunade-sama. I probably will."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura stepped into the house to be greeted by silence. It was no surprise that Itachi and Fugaku weren't at home, as they usually had other business elsewhere. She guessed that Mikoto was out buying groceries, but where was Sasuke? Hanging out with friends? She highly doubted that.

Shrugging it off, she went up to her room, pouring her books onto the bed. She learned a lot from Tsunade every time they had an afterschool session, but it always caused her to return very late, which was a problem on days like today where she had so much homework.

"What do I start with…" Her eyes flew to the calculus book. If she remembered correctly, Kakashi had given them nearly 120 questions for the night. She groaned, "Maybe Naruto was right. He _is_ a madman."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura awakened to the sound of the door slamming shut. She sat up groggily, and realized that her math homework was attached to her cheek. "Great," she muttered as she peeled off the assignment. There was probably a list of functions on her face now.

She walked out of her room, to see Uchiha Sasuke storming up the stairs. "Sasuke-kun?" She called out, rubbing her eyes to try and adjust to the corridor light.

He completely ignored her. She watched worriedly as he made his way to his room, flung the door open, and closed it so forcefully that she was sure she saw the walls shake.

Sakura wondered what had happened. She made a mental note to ask him tomorrow morning; hopefully, he'd calmed down by then. By the look she had seen on his face, she'd doubt it would be wise to attempt any sort of conversation tonight.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The next morning, Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

"Don't worry," Mikoto reassured her as she handed the girl a plate full of eggs. "I'm sure he just had early morning practice and forgot to tell anyone."

Sakura did her best to smile back. Mikoto was right. Clearly, she was just being paranoid. There was nothing for her to be on edge about.

However, her worries increased when she arrived at school and Naruto ran up to her.

"Naruto!" she exclaimed. "Didn't you have practice today?"

Naruto gave her a strange look. "Practice? No, I'm completely sure. Why?"

"But Sasuke left early today."

"Oh, well he probably just has an appointment with a teacher," Naruto laughed. "I know the guy's perfect, but teachers might still want to see him once in awhile."

They walked to homeroom together, and began a conversation. She'd expected to see Sasuke come in, but he still hadn't appeared after a good five minutes. The worry resurfaced. Naruto, evidently, also realized that Sasuke was not showing up. Even if it was an appointment with a teacher, he would have been let off to go to homeroom by now. They sat and watched as the minutes slowly dwindled away. Sakura kept expecting for him to walk in at the last second, all nonchalant and level-headed, but the bell rang, and the only person that walked in was Kakashi.

Sakura and Naruto looked at each other. He wasn't at home, and he wasn't at school. Where was he?

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It was lunch, and no one had yet to catch glimpse of Uchiha Sasuke.

"I don't get it," Naruto frowned. "Where the hell did he go? Not coming to school? It's not like him."

"Did hey say anything to you yesterday?" Chouji asked Sakura.

Sakura shook her head. "He came back really late, and was in a really bad mood. I called him but he just went straight to his room…" She paused as she watched Naruto and Kiba exchange glances. "…Did something happen with the team?"

"We uh…" Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly. "We kind of…"

"Lost," Kiba scowled. "We lost a game yesterday."

"You lost? What team did you face? Must've been strong." Chouji asked.

"The Sound bastards," Naruto spat out. "Can't stand them."

The table quieted down considerably, and Sakura wandered who these Sound people were. However, that was for another day. She refocused her attention on the problem at hand. "I don't get it. I mean, surely you've guys lost matches before? It shouldn't warrant him to pull a vanishing act, right?"

"Well…" Naruto looked troubled, and Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"What aren't you telling me?"

The blonde sighed. "Sasuke's probably getting frustrated. The season's almost ending; we only have a few games left."

"He hasn't broken any of Itachi's records yet, huh?" Kiba asked, and Naruto nodded his head in confirmation.

Sakura was confused. "We're only juniors. Even if he doesn't do it this year, he still has one more year, right?"

"You don't understand," Naruto said. "Itachi made these records when he was a junior, so Sasuke has to break those records while he's a junior or else he's not satisfied. Competitive bastard he is and all."

"I see how he could be upset, but what does his disappearance have to do with this?" Sakura frowned.

"Don't worry about it," Naruto patted her on the back. "He's bound to show up some time. We can't do anything about it now anyway. We'll just question the hell out of him when he returns."

Kiba grinned, "Should I ask to borrow some torture devices from Ibiki?"

Naruto shivered. "Definitely you. The guy hates my guts."

Sakura laughed. They really knew how to improve the mood.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

On her way home, she passed the park where she had first met Lee. She smiled fondly at the memory, remembering how he had freaked her out at first with his straightforward confession of love. Surprisingly enough, he was there again. This time with Tenten and Neji. Neji was shooting 3-pointers on the basketball court with an eager Lee as his rebounder. Tenten sat a few feet away, seemingly doing her homework.

Sakura approached, and it was Tenten who first noticed her. She smiled and gestured towards the seat besides her, indicating for Sakura to sit down.

"Neji's kind of aggressive today, isn't he?" Sakura asked, watching the Hyuuga prodigy shoot balls as though there were no tomorrow.

Tenten scoffed, "He's just pissed he lost a match yesterday. Don't worry, he'll get over it."

"Him, too?"

"Let me guess," The senior girl looked up from her papers. "Uchiha Sasuke is also throwing a temper tantrum. Well, it's expected from them. They can't accept loss, especially against Sound."

"…Why especially Sound?"

Tenten's brow creased. "You don't know? The founder of Sound was Orochimaru. He donated millions to the small town a few years ago and requested that the school be built in his name. I'm sure you know what happened a few years ago with Sasuke, so naturally they have a bad history—Sakura?"

Sakura had gone rigid. _Orochimaru?!_

Tenten waved a hand in front of her worriedly. "Sakura?"

"I gotta go," Sakura whispered, before she bolted off the chair and began running home.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The door to the Uchiha household burst open.

Mikoto, who had been dusting a shelf in the living room, looked up in surprise. "Sakura?"

"Is Sasuke-kun home?"

"No," Mikoto's tone grew concerned. "Should he be?"

Sakura hesitated, "I—No, it's nothing. I'm just being forgetful. I completely forgot he told me he had practice tonight."

"Then why are you in such a hurry?" Clearly, the woman wasn't buying it.

"I-uh..." Sakura reddened. "I have to use the bathroom."

Mikoto stared at her, and for a split second, Sakura thought she was caught, but the woman simply smiled and resumed her housework.

Sakura quickly escaped to her room. She didn't want Sasuke's mother to worry, especially if it turned out that she was just making a big deal out of trivial matter. But even as she headed up the stairs, she knew that it wasn't a trivial matter. Something was about to happen.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura had just finished her homework when her cell phone began to ring.

She answered, "Naruto?"

"Sakura-chan! Gaara called and said he thinks he saw Sasuke with Orochimaru!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Oh my, a cliffhanger. The ultimate torture device of the sadistic writer. Haha. This was clearly the longest chapter I've written in a **_**very**_ **long time. I hope you're happy. xD**

**Sorry if everything feels rushed or sudden, but I really need to get the plot moving again. The story was kind of dragging on…yeah. Remember Kojo, that guy that beat Neji from way back? (I think chapter 12.) He'll be making his re-debut shortly. In case anyone is wondering, ****orchiectomy is the medical term for castration. :**

**Oh, and look forward to a new oneshot next weekend. :P**

**Please Review!**


	27. Update

Hey guys, so I understand it's literally been about FIVE years since I've updated this story. I want to thank everyone for all the encouragement, appreciation, advice, and support that was given to me during my two or so years writing Naruto fanfiction.

The truth is, I stopped caring about Naruto in high school. The manga and anime lost my interest. I didn't follow the story, and therefore, never felt compelled to write about characters that I no longer felt attached to and no longer felt I understood.

Although I highly doubt the same readers from back then are still following this story, I thought I'd put an official word out that this is **ON HIATUS** (oh as if that wasn't obvious Jaded, dumb you.) However, I will be _**RE-EDITING **_all of the chapters to this story, and if I somehow manage to get through that, then I will continue to update the story. This is _NOT_ a promise of any sort, for re-editing could take years or I may never even finish, so it's best to just think of this story as on hold until any actual development.

Naturally, a lot has changed in five years. I began this story when I hadn't even graduated from middle school and now I'm already halfway through college. I haven't written fiction or written for leisure in a long time so perhaps I'm even worse than I was when I was 14/15 years old. This story makes me cringe on many levels. The writing (along with the writing in most of my other stories) really pains me. Some drastic changes need to be made, both in style and in overall plot so bear with me.

My love for Naruto and for SasuSaku has been rekindled these past few months and I do really miss the community as well. This is just me, slowly trying to ease back into things. :)

-SJaded


End file.
